Ocean Fire
by thejadespirit
Summary: He betrayed her when she needed his help the most. Now, when Azula orders Zuko to track down Aang and the gang, will the banished Prince succeed in his mission? Or will the tears he sees in a pair of sapphire eyes save him from himself?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hello! i hope you enjoy my fic. it's my first, so be kind! now, onto the story...**

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**Chapter One**

Ty Lee was bouncing off the walls. Literally. She would run from one end of the throne room to another, taking a few short steps up the wall before flipping back to land perfectly on the ground, her hazel eyes glittering with amusement. Mai watched her with a bored expression, throwing knives up into the air and ignoring the squeals the circus girl emitted when she deftly caught them.

Zuko nearly groaned at the spectacle, his scar emphasizing his fierce scowl. He didn't want to say it, but he missed his Uncle Iroh. While Azula had imprisoned the old general in the dungeons of the Dai Li, Iroh had refused to speak with Zuko, even when the young man came to speak with him. Instead, he had simply stared at his nephew, regret and disappointment in his eyes. Zuko had stopped going down to visit him. He couldn't stand the look in Iroh's eyes. His Uncle had been more of a father to him than his own father. He hated seeing disappointment in those familiar eyes.

The prince glanced towards his sister. Azula looked just about as disgusted with the acrobat's antics as he was. For a moment, Zuko wondered why his sister was friends with Ty Lee. He could see how Azula would stay with Mai, but _Ty Lee_? The girl was a clown. And all together too nice to be involved in Azula's little mercenary group. Or so he thought. You could never really know about people until you talked to them. And he hadn't spoken to Ty Lee for a while.

Azula sighed. Ty Lee was bored, no doubt. Did anything _happen _in Ba Sing Se? Apparently her little acrobat friend felt the same. What to do about her…She had an idea. She had a mission for her friend. But…the princess thought a moment. Ty Lee was a fairly unpredictable sort but quite loyal. She would go about her mission, if in a round-about manner. Now who to send with the girl? Not Mai. Azula needed her. Hmm…

Azula gave an evil smile. This was the perfect opportunity to test Zuko's new loyalty. She would send her beloved brother to capture the Avatar and his friends. _That_ would be his test. If he returned with only a friend or two, then he would have passed. But if he went AWOL…well, it wasn't as if their father would take him back anyway. No harm done.

Another smirk graced her cruel features. She also had no doubt that her uncle would turn up mysteriously "missing." In fact, she herself was planning the old man's escape. Iroh was useless to her, as was her brother. She would kill them…if only she wasn't related to them. Though assassinations happened quite frequently in Fire Nation families, Azula was a _princess_. Her father would not be pleased should his brother and banished son suddenly turned up dead, especially when they were under her watch.

That was why she would allow Iroh to escape. After all, Iroh was a very powerful bender. No one but Azula herself would be able to stop him from escaping if he really wanted to…and she had better things to do than baby-sit an old man.

"Zuko…"

_Oh no,_ Zuko thought wretchedly. _What now?_ He really wished she wouldn't talk to him. It was bad enough that she forced him to sit next to her. And what was the deal about her being his leader? Wasn't he the eldest?

Zuko sighed. The truth was, he was nearly sick with guilt. He didn't know why he had done what he did. He _knew_ Azula didn't care one whit about him. But…there was still the hope that his father would take him back. His father would love him again.

"What?" he asked, his voice a bit surly.

Another smirk threatened to rise but Azula pushed it back. "There is something I wish you to do," she told him, catching Ty Lee's eye. The young acrobat stopped what she was doing and moved closer. "I want you to help Ty Lee find the Avatar."

_What!? The Avatar? Again? What do I have to do to prove myself?_ he thought desperately. Though his thoughts were in a whirl, Zuko merely nodded. "All right."

Azula graced her older brother with a faint smile. "Good. You leave tomorrow." Zuko nodded and turned to leave but she stopped him. "Oh, and Zuko. If you fail in capturing the Avatar, one of his friends will do." Azula scowled at the thought of the waterbending peasant and her bending skills. That…_plebian_ was the reason why she hadn't managed to capture the Avatar herself. "That Water Tribe girl, preferably."

Again Zuko nodded and he gave Azula a stiff bow before stalking from the room. This time, Azula didn't stop him. She knew he wouldn't fail her. He thought himself so close to gaining back their father's love. _Ha,_ Azula thought, _he doesn't understand that he never had it._

* * *

"Katara…I'm tired." 

The girl looked up, blue eyes filled with concern. "I know, Aang," she replied, "but we have to keep moving. You know that Azula and the Dai Li are hunting us; we _have_ to keep moving."

"I know," Katara, the airbender said. "I know. But Appa's tired, too. He can't carry us if he's tired."

"Aang's right, Katara. Appa's no use if he's too tired to carry us."

Katara turned to her brother and sighed. "All right; we'll land. But I still don't like it." She looked down at the ground and tried to find a good spot to rest. It was hard, though, when they were so high up.

"There!"

Aang, Sokka, and Katara all looked over to where Toph was pointing before they remembered she was blind. Sokka glared uselessly at the earthbender while Aang gave a weak laugh.

"What was that about?" Sokka cried, clutching his head.

"That's what it'll sound like when Katara finds--"

"There! There's a cave over there."

Aang urged Appa towards the cave Katara pointed out, looking worriedly towards the direction of Ba Sing Se. They had flown for nearly two days straight, through the night as well, to get away, but Aang had the feeling that they weren't nearly far enough.

"_Katara…"_

The waterbender's head whipped up and she looked around at her friends but no one seemed to have spoken. Of course, she hadn't thought that they did. That voice was familiar, but it definitely did _not_ belong to one of her friends. Katara stilled for a moment, trying to turn her thoughts from a certain firebender when Momo jumped into her lap, startling her.

"Are you all right?" Aang asked her, his normal sunny attitude firmly back in place.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Just tired, that's all."

"See?" said Sokka, folding his arms across his chest. "You need sleep too. Girls are just more vulnerable. I, however, am not sleepy at all."

At his asinine comment, Katara simply shook her head. "Not sleepy?" she asked, trying to hide her disturbance. "Then how come you keep nodding off every five seconds?

Sokka moved back, a look of denial plastered onto his tan face. "What do you mean? I'm a warrior and warriors don't get so tired easily, especially not _this_ warrior." He ended his tirade with a jab at his chest, nearly knocking himself over.

"Yes," drawled Toph who had felt Sokka nearly fall into her, "such the strong and invincible warrior, aren't you?"

He sniffed and turned away. "All this talk of being tired is making me tired. Besides, I haven't slept since we left Ba Sing Se."

Katara laughed. "Oh, so that _wasn't_ you I heard snoring away last night. And this morning. And for that half hour this afternoon. And--"

"All right!" Sokka practically screamed, his face reddening. "I get it! Shouldn't we be concentrating on watching the road?"

As much as she wished she could yell at Sokka for changing the conversation, Katara knew he was right. Heaving a sigh, she examined the ground around the cave as Appa landed. It didn't seem as if there had been anyone in the area for quite some time. And the cave _was_ rather remote. Still…

"_Katara…"_ She shook her head. She didn't know she liked this, but they had no choice. Everyone needed to rest. Even Aang was hard-pressed to keep up his seemingly overabundant well of energy. She yawned and looked to the west. There, the sun was setting in a fiery blaze of glory. Suddenly, Katara shuddered. The Fire Nation. She could never, ever forget it. Or the memories it had left her with.

"_Katara…"_

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**A/N: All right. How did I do? not too bad, I hope. Okay. So, if you've decided to read my lovely little story, could you please grace me with some reviews? that would be totally awesome...please? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! I even got a few pointers, which is always awesome. I'll try and work on everything, see if I can get my ADD characters to stop jumping in at random moments. Though it'll be kinda hard…**

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**Chapter Two**

"Are you ready?"

Zuko looked down at the girl by his side, a frown on his face. After a moment, he turned away, having said nothing. Instead, he simply moved off, wanting to begin with his hunt as quickly as possible. He wasn't a fool; he knew what Azula was planning. This was a test. And he didn't plan on falling.

With a dejected sigh, Ty Lee followed Zuko, her mind whirling around the thought that this mission would be very boring. Suddenly, Ty Lee perked up. At least she would be able to see that cute Water Tribe warrior. _That_ might save her from complete boredom. Still, traveling with Azula's brother didn't seem such a great concept. She rather wished she could go off on her own. She stopped. Perhaps…

"Are you coming or not?"

The exasperated voice of Prince Zuko reached her ears and Ty Lee snapped out of her reverie. This was, unfortunately, not the time for daydreams. She was on a mission. She nodded and raced forward, only to find that Zuko had continued without so much as an acknowledgement to her. Ty Lee let out a puff of air. Boring indeed. Still, it wasn't all a loss.

Shaking his head, Zuko mounted his ostrich-horse and waited silently for Ty Lee to do the same. He was definitely _not_ thrilled that she was coming. When she jumped onto her own ostrich-horse, the fallen prince sent one last look towards his sister and then urged his mount forward. He was growing weary of tests from his family. His father, now Azula…even Iroh had tested him, albeit in a roundabout and unobtrusive way. All he truly wanted was his honor back.

_But what honor is there in betraying your Uncle…and those who might have helped you? _asked a snide voice in his head.

_There is honor in being accepted by my father and my people,_ he retorted.

_Ah, but will he really accept you again? Ever? You're playing the fool if you think he still cares._

Zuko shook his head once more and looked to the west. There had been reports that the Avatar and his bison had headed in that direction. It also meant that he had his friends had a big head start. As the sun rose behind them, the sky deepened a bit, lightening but gaining a bluer quality. For a moment, Zuko was reminded of sapphire blue eyes. He started but the color was gone, as fleeting as a dream.

* * *

Her dreams were disturbing, full of fire and dark days. A familiar form haunted her thoughts but in her confused and exhausted mind, Katara couldn't identify the mysterious figure.

"_Hello?"_

They turned and moved closer but still Katara didn't know who it was. His face was cast in shadows, with only the molten-gold pools of his eyes visible.

"_Hello?"_

"_I'm coming, Katara…"_

Katara's eyes snapped open, her chest heaving. For a moment, she simply laid there, staring up at the dark ceiling. After a moment, she sighed and rose. Katara knew she wouldn't slip into sleep so easily now so she approached the mouth of the cave and sat down. The girl closed her eyes and began to bend the water in her water skin. They had been here for a whole day, resting, but still they were tired. Yet Katara was suddenly filled with an overwhelming well of liveliness.

Again she sighed, this time for an all-together different reason. Bending soothed her, filled her with a certain calming energy. Sightless, she let the energy move through her, flowing from her fluid arms.

Above her, in the night sky, she felt the moon's pull, wondering at the sweet beauty it filled her with. Katara always felt amazed that she knew the moon spirit, had spoken with her before she became as she was. _Yue. We all miss you. Please, guide us through this._

She felt a warmth within and knew Yue had heard her. With a soft smile, Katara opened her eyes. And her heart stilled. Off in the distance, she saw fire. And, though it could have been from anything, Katara knew the fire didn't belong to anyone friendly. What was more, it was_ moving_.

"Oh no." She turned on her heel as she stood, running to the back of the cave. _How had they been found so quickly?_ "Everyone, wake up! Wake up now!"

Sokka groaned. "Uggh. Whassit, 'Tara?"

Katara watched as the others woke up and began to feel for their belongings. "I don't know," she replied grimly. "But we can't take any chances. We have to go."

* * *

When Zuko woke from yet another jumbled dream, Ty Lee was gone. But, in her place, there stood another familiar face. He groaned as his entire body seemed to be trapped in a blazing fire. His stomach began to flip and his head began to pound. He felt weak and helpless. He didn't like it.

"Hello, Prince Zuko."

For a moment, Zuko was speechless. _How is this happening?_ And then he got his wits back. "Uncle? Why…How? How did you escape?" he asked weakly, quickly averting his eyes. "Does Azula know?"

Iroh was silent a moment as he saw the feverish look on Zuko's face. "I suspect she does," he said finally, his voice quiet. "Seeing as she was the one who allowed me to escape."

"What?" Zuko asked, unaware that his words were starting to slur. The night before, his dreams had been filled with tear-filled eyes and fiery deaths. He had seen a girl, dark hair streaming behind her, fending off her attackers. He had _been_ her attacker.

Voices had whispered to him. His, Iroh's, Azula's, his father's…and his mother's.

"_Oh, Zuko. I didn't save you to betray those who love you. Please, don't throw such things away."_

Iroh watched Zuko closely but continued. "I woke a few days ago to find that the guard outside my cell had fallen asleep. His keys had fallen into my cell. I escaped but, as I passed the guard, I noticed that he wasn't just asleep." The old firebender shook his head. "No. I didn't escape; I was released."

"How--"

"Did I find you?" He chuckled. "You leave quite the trail, Prince Zuko."

Zuko tried to nod as his vision began to blur but the world was soon enveloped in an inky black. Pain raced through him and he cried out, collapsing back to the ground.

As Zuko fell to the forest floor, Iroh sighed. "Oh, nephew. Will your mind ever agree with your heart?" He shook his head and lifted Zuko onto the ostrich-horse. They would continue to follow the Avatar for Iroh believed it was Zuko's only chance at becoming whole.

* * *

As they raced through the skies, Katara was uncertain of what she had seen a couple of nights ago. But she didn't regret her actions. On the contrary, she was quite happy with her decision, knowing that, if the situation was dire, they would need to be quick. Katara knew, from their experience beneath Ba Sing Se, that she and Aang couldn't always fight their way out of a grim situation.

She turned and looked at the others, all of whom were sleeping fitfully. Her shoulders slumped. It was her fault. Wait, no it wasn't. That glow could have come from anything.

_Like firebenders? _asked a voice in her head.

_No! And certainly not a certain two-timing, double-crossing, loserific firebender…travelers, maybe._

_Oh, come on! How many campfires have you seen move? Better safe than sorry, right?…_Loserific_? How lame is that? You're just angry because he sided with his sister._

_Um…yeah. His sister is a demon! In case you didn't notice…And I'm _pissed_ that he chose _her _side instead of Aang's._

_You mean _your_ side._

_No. Aang's side. Besides, he's nothing to me, just another stupid firebender. _

_Ah, yes…and you_ weren't _about to heal him…and you _weren't_ standing a few teeny, tiny inches from him, close enough to--_

_Shut up!_

Abruptly pulling away from those dangerous thoughts, Katara pulled out a map to try and figure out where they were. After a few moments, however, she decided it was pointless. She knew they were close to the Eastern Air Temple, but she wasn't certain of their exact position.

Well, it didn't matter. Just as long as they were able to keep away from Princess Azula and her gang of miscreants.

As she was putting the map away, Aang stirred, seeming shocked that he had fallen asleep. "Katara?" he whispered groggily.

"Yes, Aang?"

"Can we land somewhere? I know we've only been flying for a little while, but I'm awfully tired."

With a sigh, Katara nodded. "Of course, Aang. Of course."

_See? Ha. Only traders. I'm sure of it._

_Traders that could be firebenders who sneak up on you in the middle of the day…when _they're_ most powerful._

_Oh shut up._

The airbender smiled a sleepy smile and began to steer Appa back to the ground. The Bison seemed glad and eagerly headed down, aiming for a patch of clear ground in the middle of a dense forest. Katara let out a breath she didn't even know she had been holding. Maybe this time they could stay for a little while longer. Perhaps a couple of days.

Katara chuckled softly. And maybe they could get a decent meal. They hadn't dared stop in any of the villages they passed over, afraid they might be recognized. Now they were running low on supplies and, while the forest wouldn't hold much, she and Sokka could at least find a bit more food.

At that very moment, Katara heard Sokka's stomach rumble loudly, waking the sleeping warrior. He sat up, clutching his middle, and smiled with relief as Appa settled on the ground. "Food! Need food!" Katara laughed and then woke up Toph.

"Land? Land!" the girl squealed, taking Aang's proffered hand. "Finally. Appa's soft and all, but the earth and I get along much better, I think."

"To tell the truth," Katara admitted slowly, "we _all_ could benefit from taking a very long break." The others sent up enthusiastic cheers. Katara smiled. They were finally safe.

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**A/N: Woohoo! Another chapter finished! I know it's short; I'm sorry. But! I'll have the next one up as soon as humanly possible, so…Watch out! It'll be longer. Oh, and don't worry; Ty Lee will return. Iroh didn't murder her or anything…it's not his style. She really just…well, if I told you that, I'd have to smack myself for revealing secrets…sorry!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I bring you yet another chapter! Thanks again to all those who reviewed, I love it all! Oh, and if there is a lot of text in italics, it represents a dream but, if it's like this: _"words here, words here,"_ then it's normally a thought or something of that nature. **

**Oh. And I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, much to my regret. I'm only writing about it. If I did, Zuko definitely would _not_ have betrayed Katara and his Uncle like that. I mean, who thought of that? Anyway, onto the chapter… **

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**Chapter Three**

They were close.

Iroh glanced at his nephew. He was lying on a cot in the little sloop Iroh had procured. The young prince was so feverish, Iroh had to check to make sure the bedding didn't scorch. Zuko still battled fiercely with himself, but Iroh knew the boy would wake up soon; he had to.

_Zuko was lost at sea, being tossed about the waves. But, oddly enough, the ocean seemed as if it were on fire, colored red and gold, as if the setting sun were hitting the sea. But it was night. _

_Suddenly, a great wave crashed onto him and Zuko found himself deep underwater, struggling for breath. _What is happening? _Abruptly, the scene changed and he found himself on a deserted beach, the full moon high above him. In the distance stood a lovely girl, with hair and eyes of the purest silver. She seemed familiar but, as with all dream-figures, Zuko couldn't remember her._

"_Where am I?"_

_The girl cocked her head to the side. "You are where you need to be, Prince Zuko. You are where I called you to."_

"_But where is that?"_

_She laughed and motioned with her hand, Zuko's surroundings shifting from the beach to a mountain, to Ba Sing Se, to a cave, and back to the beach. "Everywhere. And nowhere. This is my domain, Prince Zuko."_

_He took a tentative step towards the girl. "Who are you? How do I know you?"_

"_I am the Moon Spirit. But I was once known as Yue, Princess of the Northern Water Tribe."_

"_The Moon Spirit? But…if you are the Moon Spirit, why are you talking to me?"_

_Yue laughed again, gently. "For Sokka. And Aang. And…for Katara. There is a battle raging in you, Prince Zuko. A battle for your very core. Many lives depend on your decision. But it is your decision alone." Her eyes turned sad and she began to fade. "Choose well, Prince Zuko. Choose well."_

"_Wait--" Zuko cried, reaching out. But it was no use. Yue was gone and he was left to stand on the beach alone._

"_Not quite alone."_

_He turned and faced…himself. "What…?"_

"_Prepare yourself. We have faced before, Zuko. This time, I will not lose." _

_Zuko ducked as a ball of fire hurtled towards him. "This isn't real. This isn't real!" _

_His other self stopped, looking astonished. "What?"_

"_This isn't real! I'm myself, not anyone else!" And with those words, the other Zuko vanished._

Zuko woke, and sat up, looking at his strange surroundings. The world was tilting. "What?" he asked, in an echo of his dream. "Where am I?"

Iroh turned and looked at his nephew. "We're on a ship. Welcome back, Prince Zuko."

Groaning, Zuko looked around. The ship wasn't very big. He guessed it would take only a few people to properly sail it. He hoped his uncle had been discreet in his choice of a crew.

"Uncle?"

"Yes, Nephew?"

"Where are we going?"

Iroh grinned at Zuko. "We're following the Avatar, Prince Zuko."

The Prince was a bit surprised. He thought that the last thing his uncle would want to do would be to chase the Avatar again. Or even help _him_ capture the young monk. After all, he had betrayed both of them. And for what?

"Why, Uncle? Why are you helping me?"

Uncle Iroh looked at Zuko for a moment and then sighed, sitting next to Zuko on the cot. "Because, Prince Zuko, you are my nephew. I would never leave you on your own."

"But…But I _betrayed _you! You shouldn't be taking care of me, you should be yelling at me, screaming at me. Anything but this!"

"Would it be easier for you if I shouted? If I yelled and cursed at you, Nephew?" Iroh asked quietly. "Would it clear your conscience?"

"I…" Zuko fell silent. His uncle was right. He would much prefer to be yelled at. At least then he wouldn't feel so damn guilty. He wasn't used to feeling guilty and he didn't like it all. No, not at all.

"I'm sorry, Uncle, for what I did."

Iroh waved his hand. "What's done is done, Nephew. What you do is your decision. And your decision alone." Zuko winced. Those words sounded too much like his dream. "You cannot always rely on me, or others, to make your moves for you. You are a grown man, now Zuko. You must choose your own fate."

"I know, Uncle, but sometimes it's just…" he trailed off.

"Difficult?" Zuko nodded and Iroh sighed again. "Life is meant to be difficult, Nephew. But that is what makes us stronger." He paused a moment and then brightened. "So, Prince Zuko. What are we going to do when we reach the Avatar?"

Zuko was quiet a moment. "I'm going to try to capture the Avatar," he answered.

"And what if you can't?"

He shrugged. "Then I'll have to join him. Either we bring the fight to Azula by capturing the Avatar, or we make her bring the fight to us. Either way, Azula is _not_ going to dictate to me anymore."

* * *

"Are you all right, Katara?"

"Hmm?" Katara looked up into the anxious face of Aang. "Oh, yeah. I'm just thinking about things."

The Airbender sat down next to her. "What about?"

She sighed. "Just things, Aang. I'm a bit worried about staying here so long. I mean, we've been here for two days. Don't you think that's a little long?"

Aang's face fell. "Well, yeah, but we all need the rest." He smiled as Momo landed on his shoulder, chattering nonsense. "Even Momo agrees."

The waterbender laughed, looking out into the woods. "I know. But I can't help but feeling that something big is going to happen." After a moment, Katara sighed and turned to her friend. "Promise me something, Aang."

"Yeah?"

"If anything happens to me, if I get left behind, I want you to promise me you'll go on without me."

"What? Katara, no—"

She held up her hand. "Just hear me out, okay? Nothing is more important than you getting to the Fire Nation before the end of the summer, Aang. And if that means leaving me behind, then I want you to do it, all right? We can't afford to waste time."

Aang frowned. "How can I do that, Katara? You're my friend. I can't just leave you behind."

"You can and you will, Aang." She sighed wearily. "Just promise me, okay?"

"Okay," Aang said reluctantly. "But right after I defeat the Fire Lord, I'll come back for you. I promise."

Soft laughter came from Katara and she smiled gratefully at Aang. Throwing her arms around his neck, she whispered. "Thank you, Aang."

The boy blushed and lowered his head when Katara pulled back. His crush on her had all but gone away but it was still there, just a little. He looked away, back towards the camp. Now another bender had caught his attention. He sighed. It seemed there were always too many distractions. He would never reach the full potential of the Avatar state. Then again, he didn't really want to, especially if it meant letting go of the people he cared about. There had to be another way. Another way to defeat the Fire Lord.

"Aang?" It was Toph. "Come on, Twinkle Toes. We're supposed to be practicing, remember? Not sitting around staring off into space."

Aang nodded and pushed himself up with a puff of air, his earlier thoughts gone. Though it was hard work, he _liked_ practicing his earthbending with Toph. Now if only they could find a firebending master…

* * *

Ty Lee wandered around the village, peering into the shops with a curious expression. Though Azula thought these small towns were not worth her time, Ty Lee loved them. You could always find the oddest shops and the coolest stuff.

Turning away from all the little stores, the acrobat sighed. She was supposed to be with Zuko right now, tracking the Avatar, not running around the countryside alone.

"_Well, at least I'm doing _one_ of the things I'm supposed to."_

"_Oh, so running around by yourself is okay?"_

"_Yes."_

And that was the end of _that_ conversation. Ty Lee had never been one to argue with herself for very long. It wasted time, in her opinion, and time was best spent by having fun. But she wasn't having much fun right now.

A couple of nights ago, she had run away from Zuko, mainly because he was a stuffy sort of person and was no fun whatsoever. It wasn't even fun to make him mad anymore. So Ty Lee had slipped away. Oh, she wasn't worried that Zuko would miss her much; she had seen his funny uncle slipping _into_ the camp. So everything was okay. But she still wasn't having any fun.

"_That might be true but if you catch up with the Avatar, everything will get better. They seem like fun."_

Okay. That was settled. Now she knew what she was going to do. That only left Azula. Ty Lee didn't think the princess would take too kindly to one of her friends going over to the Avatar's side.

"_But it's not as if you actually _are_ joining the Avatar. And, if worst comes to worst, you can always tell Azula you were captured."_

"_All right then." _Ty Lee smiled and her step regained its usual bounce. She hopped on her ostrich-horse and faced west. According to the latest gossip, the Avatar was still headed in that direction. She would catch up with the Avatar, join up with his group to save herself from boredom, and maybe have a lot of fun while she was at it. Azula wouldn't mind…much.

* * *

"We haven't heard from Ty Lee and Zuko in a while," Mai stated in her usual flat voice.

Azula glanced towards her friend, a scowl on her face. "That's rather…interesting," she responded.

"Do you think it was wise to let go of your uncle?"

The princess narrowed her eyes. "With our dear Uncle Iroh around, Zuko will be more prone to try and run off. And that's what I want."

"So you can arrest him."

A smirk lighted Azula's face. "Exactly."

Mai sighed. "You could have arrested him before."

Azula laughed. "Yes, but it wouldn't have been as fun."

"You never meant what you said to him, did you?"

"Of course not. Now we're about to go after my dear brother, and handle this ourselves, as my father wishes."

Mai's eyebrow rose slightly, though her face was still impassive. "And what about Ty Lee? Why send her along? Why not keep her with us for our little hunt?"

Azula let out a breath of air and shook her head at Mai. "Ty Lee was a show of good faith. Besides, she won't stay with my poor brother the whole way through; she'll get bored. No, she'll find us soon enough."

"And then what?"

"We'll get both my pathetic brother _and_ the Avatar."

* * *

**A/N: another chapter down...lots more to follow. do you like that i've been updating so quickly? sorry to say this, but it might change...school and all, you know? but, I will persevere, and all that. so, you know the drill...review, review, review! I love them all, even if they yell at me...I've had quite a few so far...woohoo!!!!!! well, i'm off to write more. bye-bye!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Will this be the chapter when Zutara begins? Who knows…you must read to find out…mwahaha!**

**I do not, will not, and always wish I could, own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Damn. **

* * *

**Chapter Four**

They'd been in the forest for nearly a week, healing wounds and resting up. It was time to leave. Which was why Katara was, yet again, wandering through the woods, picking berries and nuts to eat. Who else would do it? Sokka?

Katara snorted at that thought. _"Yeah, right. Like he would lift a finger for anything he deems 'women work.'"_

So here she was, marching around, doing all the work, yet again. It wasn't as if no one else could do it. Sokka, if he wasn't so thickheaded, would be perfectly capable…all right, maybe not. Toph really couldn't get food and Aang was too busy with Appa. Still, Katara didn't mind, as much as she complained about it. In fact, it gave her a lot of much-needed alone time. Not to mention that she could defend herself if someone was stupid enough to attack her.

Humming, Katara began putting the food she found in the crease of her dress. Holding it out like a basket, the blue material was perfect. She didn't even drop anything. She went from plant to plant, unaware of what was about to happen.

Prince Zuko watched from the underbrush as the Water Tribe girl gathered food. Iroh had stayed with the ship, confident that Zuko could take care of himself. He was all alone, as was Katara.

As he watched, sunlight pierced the canopy of the trees and danced around Katara, playing in her dark hair and lighting her sapphire eyes. Zuko could barely breathe as he looked on the sight.

"_She's beautiful!"_

He shook his head. _"Focus."_

Zuko got himself under control and a moment later, Katara turned away, her back towards him. This was the perfect opportunity. He could capture her and gain the attention of the Avatar. The airbender would surely come after his friend. And, while Zuko could face him now, the firebender would rather speak to the Avatar on his own terms.

He crept forward, eyes focused on Katara. He would capture the waterbender and, by doing so, capture the Avatar. And after that…well, he'd cross that bridge when he got to it.

--------

She heard a sound behind her but, instead of whirling to face whatever it was, Katara stilled. She didn't want to attack one of her friends if they were just playing a joke on her. Calmly, she moved her hand as if she were picking more berries. Instead, she was readying her bending water. There was also a stream nearby. If worse came to worse, she could use that as well.

-------

He lifted his arms to capture her and moved closer, trying to be as quiet as possible. She still seemed unaware of his presence and Zuko wanted to keep it that way. He stepped even closer and then…

-------

She whirled around, readying herself for an attack. What she saw made her pause, but only for the barest of moments. With a cry, Katara began to bend.

-------

Zuko dodged Katara's water whip and shot a fireball from his hand, aiming, not for Katara, but for her water. If he could evaporate her water, he'd be able to stop her from bending.

-------

Katara growled low as she noticed what Zuko was trying to do. So the began to bend the water from the nearby creek, pulling it towards her. He would not beat her. She wouldn't let him.

-------

Dodge, duck, strike, dodge. It was almost like a dance but Zuko was growing tired of it. The water kept lashing at him, cutting his arms and slashing at his legs. She had even managed to call more water to her. He needed to end this quickly.

Smiling grimly, Zuko dodged another blow and jabbed at her with his hand, going for the one pressure point Ty Lee had taught him. It was the most important one and was dangerous to use. But he needed her to come quietly. He couldn't risk bringing the others to them, not if his plan was going to work.

-------

A stinging in her neck was all she felt right before she fell into darkness. She opened her mouth and whispered something she had never said before in her life.

-------

"You son of a—"

Zuko caught her right before she hit the ground. Making sure no one was coming, he lifted her up and carried her away, ignoring his own cuts and bruises to examine a small burn he had managed to give her. It was situated on her collarbone, visible where the fire had burned through her dress.

After a moment, he turned and disappeared into the woods, heading back to the ship as quickly as he dared. Zuko wanted her burn healed. When he reached the ship, his uncle said nothing, merely gave him an inquiring look. After a moment, Zuko realized why. He had been gazing down at the Water Tribe girl, staring in wonder at the curve of her tanned cheek and how her eyelashes were black crescents against her skin.

Embarrassed, Zuko looked away and trudged onto the ship with his charge. "I was making sure she's all right, Uncle," he explained softly. "It won't do any good to have her hurt."

Behind Zuko's back, Iroh smiled. "Of course, Nephew," he murmured.

* * *

Katara woke to the feel of the ocean. Muttering, she rolled onto her side and snuggled deeper into the blankets, convinced she was dreaming. She couldn't be on the ocean, wrapped up in warm blankets and sleeping on a soft cot…

Suddenly, she sat up. Blankets? A cot? She looked around and found that she was indeed on a ship, and most likely out in the middle of the ocean, too, judging on the gentle rocking of the boat. "What…?"

And then it started to come back to her. She had been gathering food—because Sokka would never do it—when she was attacked from behind by…

"Zuko," she growled, jumping from the cot. Katara moved towards the door, only to find that one of her ankles was tied to the leg of the cot. And that was when she noticed her water skin was gone. And there were no windows whatsoever. After a moment of panicking, Katara began to desperately pull on the rope. She tugged ruthlessly but it didn't even stretch. And the knot…it was too strong and tight for her to undo.

Tears gathered in her eyes and she slumped to the floor, leaning her back against the cot. She glared at the door. "I thought you changed…"

-------

Zuko paused in front of the door, hearing a whisper. So she was awake. He looked down at the tray in his hand and sighed. He would have to go in. As much as he wished he could, there was no possible way that her food could slip under the crack of the door.

"_Afraid?"_ asked a voice in his head.

"_No!"_

"_I think you are. You're afraid that she'll start yelling at you the moment you walk in."_

Zuko shook his head and, balancing the tray with one hand, reached to open the door. _"No. I'm afraid she won't say a word._

-------

Katara watched as the door slowly opened, revealing the last person she wanted to see. Though she didn't want to admit it, she was still hurt over his betrayal. She really thought he had changed. But then he had turned on her and spoken so coldly, as if the heat she had felt from him was nothing but an illusion.

Feeling fresh tears well up in her eyes, she turned away from him, from his impossibly golden eyes and the tray of delicious looking food he carried. She would _not_ show weakness, not in front of him.

She held back a sob. Was she doomed to always trust the wrong guy? First Jet and then Zuko. Perhaps she was never meant to be anything more than a sister to those who _did_ love her.

-------

Zuko paused as he saw tears filling those sapphire eyes. He stepped closer but stopped again as she turned away, disappointment and sadness coming off of her in waves. Sighing, Zuko bent down and placed his tray on the floor, pushing it so that it would slide to rest next to Katara.

He stood. "You should eat," he whispered, before turned and walking out of the room. As he closed the door, he heard a sob. Though it hurt, Zuko kept his face passive and walked away, determined not to care. He couldn't care. Katara was just a pawn, along with the Avatar.

Finally, he understood. His father would either give him back his honor or Zuko would take it back. There was no other way. He could not afford to feel for anyone involved. It would complicate things too much.

But, even as he told himself not to get involved, Zuko could still hear Katara's sobs. And it touched his heart.

* * *

"Katara! Katara, where are you?"

Sokka snorted. "She's probably just mad because I won't pick berries or flowers or whatever." He looked away. Despite his words, he was getting worried. They hadn't seen Katara for a couple of hours and it was getting late. They needed to go.

Aang glared at him. "How can you say that? She might be in trouble!" He moved away, gray eyes searching the woods beyond. "Katara!"

Sighing, Sokka walked in the other direction and cupped a hand to his mouth. They had left Toph with Appa and Momo, certain she could take care of herself. "Katar—" He stopped, spotting something strange. He moved closer to the tree and his blood suddenly ran cold. "Aang! Aang, come here!"

The airbender bounded over to his companion and cocked his head to the side. "What is it Sokka?"

The Water Tribe boy pointed to the burn on the tree. "Fire Nation. She's been captured."

* * *

**A/N: Oooooh! Yay! The Zutaraness has begun! Isn't it wonderful? All right, ppl., you know the drill. Time to review! I'll try and get up my next chapter quick. Bye!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. I wish I did…but I don't. I'm working on that, tho. I have twenty-five cents and I'll keep saving until I can buy it…then everything will go exactly as I want it…now, to procure more quarters…**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

"Did you tell her?"

Zuko looked up. "Why are you in my room, Uncle?" he asked wearily.

Iroh frowned. "You didn't tell her." It wasn't a question.

The banished prince sighed and sat on his bed. "No, Uncle. I didn't tell her. I—she was crying."

"Ah. Well, perhaps she's just a bit shaken from her kidnapping," the old man said. "I think I'll bring her some tea."

"All right, Uncle."

Iroh paused at the door and looked back at his nephew. Zuko sat on the bed, his head in his hands. The young prince was changing. Oh, the change was subtle, but there all the same. The ice around his heart was slowly melting. And his eyes were finally starting to open.

"_Perhaps this Katara will be a good influence on him. If they were to talk… Hmm. I must think on this."_

When his uncle left, Zuko huffed out a breath of air and shook his head. He hadn't liked seeing Katara cry. It didn't sit well with him. _And he was the cause_. He didn't like that either.

_I thought you changed…_

Zuko lay back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. She had offered to heal his scar. She had shown him a kindness he didn't really know. Now she must hate him for what he did. How could he ever apologize? How?

"_Why do you care? She just a pawn, isn't she? She's your ticket to joining the Avatar."_

"_If she hates us, it will make everything harder."_

At least, that was what he told himself. But the truth was, he couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop seeing the tears glistening in her deep blue eyes. In the cave, she had looked at him with trust. She hadn't even seemed afraid of his scar, as so many others were. Those eyes, gentle and caring, had shone with hurt and fear when he brought her food. It was…startling. And disappointing.

"_Why?"_

Zuko sighed and got up, determined to make things right. He needed to gain her trust if he ever wanted to join the Avatar. And the best way to do that was give her a little bit of trust. He opened his door and stepped out into the hall, determined to make her trust him, if only a tiny bit.

* * *

Katara tugged uselessly at the rope that tied her to the cot. She was usually an expert with knots but this one was _hard_. She sighed and tears began to well up in her eyes again. Angrily, she wiped them away, determined not to cry again. Crying was pointless, especially when she was trapped on a ship with the Fire Nation Prince.

She glanced at the tray beside her. The food was untouched. Katara hadn't wanted to eat it, especially after she had seen the look in Zuko's eyes. _So…vulnerable_.

"_Vulnerable? Ha! As if. He's only doing that to gain your trust. Again. Won't you ever learn, Katara?"_

The girl sighed and tugged at the rope again. She wanted to trust Zuko, really, she did, but things were just so complicated. He had already betrayed her once. She wouldn't give him the opportunity to do so again.

A knock sounded on her door and Katara scrambled onto the cot, giving herself enough room to stay fight whoever came near her. "Come in," she said regally.

The door started to open and Katara tensed but, when she saw who was there, she relaxed and even smiled. "Hello."

Iroh smiled back at Katara and walked in with another tray, glancing pointedly at the one on the floor. The Water Tribe girl blushed. "I was saving it," she offered weakly.

The old man nodded knowingly and then sat in a chair close to Katara's cot. "I brought some Ginseng tea I thought you might like. It's my favorite."

Katara's smile grew even wider. She nodded. "Of course…" the girl trailed off, frowning. "I—"

Iroh laughed. "Don't worry; you may call me Uncle Iroh. I assure you I won't mind."

Again Katara smiled and she took the cup of tea that Iroh offered her. "Thank you, Uncle Iroh," she said. "I was rather thirsty."

An eyebrow rose above Iroh's eye and he glanced at the tray on the floor. There was no water, he noted. But he didn't say anything, merely lifted his cup in a small toast. "It is good to have you aboard, young lady. Though my nephew could have found a better way to talk to the Avatar."

It was Katara's turn to raise a brow. "Talk?" she asked doubtfully. "The last time we saw Zuko, he tried to _kill_ Aang. And now he just wants to talk? Am I supposed to believe this?"

"Yes."

The two turned to find Zuko standing in the doorway, his face blank. But it was his eyes that spoke. Katara stared at the hope and remorse in his golden eyes. For a moment, her heart melted but then her expression hardened.

"You want to talk to him so much that you kidnapped me and tied me to a bed?"

Zuko looked away, uncomfortable. "I'm sorry," he murmured. He turned back, eyes pleading. "I'm sorry."

For some reason, Katara knew he wasn't just apologizing for kidnapping her. Confused, she looked away and sipped her tea, trying to think of something other than how handsome Zuko looked at that moment.

"You can't just say sorry and expect me to forgive you," she whispered. "I know better than that."

Iroh looked from Zuko to Katara and decided that now was not the best time for him to be there. As quietly and unobtrusively as he could, Iroh rose and left the room. Hopefully no one noticed.

They didn't. Zuko moved to the end of the cot and began to move forward. He stopped when Katara moved back, a glimmer of fear in her sapphire eyes. Shaking his head, Zuko knelt by the side of the cot and took out a knife. Katara moved farther. With quick movements, he cut through the knot of the rope he himself had tied around her slim ankle.

"There," he said, moving back. "Now you can go wherever you want." Zuko paused. "But don't try to jump ship. I won't allow it."

He walked towards the door but paused there. Not turning to look back at her, not wanting to see the emotions shining in her eyes, he spoke. "Please trust me, if only a little. I only want to help." And then he was gone.

Still staring at the door in shock, Katara shook herself and wrapped her arms around her legs. She felt…confused. Burying her head in her arms, she began to cry, wishing she knew how she felt. "Oh, Aang. Please, come and find me."

Standing outside of her door, Zuko heard Katara's whispered words and winced. Would she never trust him again? Had he completely destroyed any chance of knowing her when he betrayed her in the cave? He sighed and moved down the corridor. Why did it matter so much to him?

* * *

Ty Lee looked at the burn mark on the tree with interest and then towards the berries scattered along the ground. The Avatar had passed through here but he wasn't a firebender yet. At least, not that she knew. So the fire had to have come from someone else. _Zuko_. And it seemed that the banished prince had managed to take one of the Avatar's friends hostage.

Shaking her head, Ty Lee turned back towards the village she had just come from. This wasn't fun anymore. Luckily, Azula was coming soon. She could join up with the princess and then maybe she'd have a bit of fun.

She sighed huffily. She _hated_ tracking. She wished she was back in the circus. _Then_ she'd have a _lot_ of fun! But then again…Azula had made it pretty clear she didn't like Ty Lee doing such common stuff. Still. Was it really common if it was fun? She didn't think so but, when someone disagreed with Azula, they didn't think that way for very long before she did something about it.

* * *

"Aren't we going for Katara?" Sokka practically shouted. Beside him, Toph covered her ears.

"Look, Sokka. Aang wants to find her, too, but he made her a promise."

"So what? That Fire Nation ass has her! Who knows what might happen?"

"Sokka—"

"No, Toph. He's right. I can't just leave her alone like that." Abruptly, Aang pulled on Appa's reins and the flying bison turned directions. "They're probably going west, too, but I think they're a bit south of us."

As Appa flew out over the water, Sokka gave a small cheer, though his spirits were grim. He just couldn't help but think what might be happening to Katara. _What was going on?_

* * *

**A/N: Oh, if only he knew…he would spit and shout and jump up and down like a furious two-year-old…mwahaha…**

**Okay! Sorry this one was so much shorter than the others…but, hey! I got it out on the same day as the last one. Kudos for me, right? So, you know what to do. Review! Please? **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you, all of those who reviewed. A love my reviews; they make me feel all happy and cheery, a good change, I'm thinking, from my usual blah self. So, anyway! Here's my next chapter. It's a sweet one, so… Enjoy!**

**-I don't own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, much to my dismay. But! I now have fifty cents. I'm getting closer to my goal! Woohoo!**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Aang was worried about Katara. They had been flying after Zuko's ship for nearly the whole day and still they had not spotted it. All they had found was a small sloop, too small for Zuko to use.

He sighed as he guided Appa onto a small island. They had to find her. Even though he had promised Katara that he would come and rescue her, Aang couldn't just leave her behind. He couldn't.

"Aang?"

The Avatar turned and smiled at Toph. He took her hand and led her off of Appa. "Yeah?"

"Are you all right?"

Aang was silent a moment as he looked at the earthbender beside him. After a moment he nodded, though she couldn't see it. "Yeah. I'll be fine."

Toph nodded and let go of Aang's hand, walking away to make her earth tent. Behind Aang, Sokka clambered off of Appa and rolled out his sleeping bag. He was in it and asleep within moments, pausing in his rush only to gaze longingly up at the moon. He was saying goodnight to Yue, as he always did.

Instead of using his own sleeping bag, Aang curled up with Momo and Appa. Even though it wasn't really cold out, Aang just wanted the comfort of having them near. Sighing again, he looked up at the moon and whispered a silent prayer. He hoped that they would find Katara soon. Though his crush on her was fading, she was still his friend. He cared for her. But he cared much more for someone else. He turned towards Toph's earthen tent.

-------

From inside her little earth tent, used the earth to keep track of Aang. She really liked Aang but she didn't think he liked her the same way. It seemed he thought of her as only a friend. Suddenly, the airbender sat straighter and turned his body towards her earth tent, as if he knew what she was doing.

"Toph…"

Toph pulled back, but only for a moment. After only the barest hint of hesitation, Toph left her snug little shelter and walked over to where Aang, Momo, and Appa were resting. "Aang?"

"Toph?"

The earthbender sighed and sat down. "Aang, I…" she trailed off and began to play with the ground, making little hills and valleys. "I…I like you, Aang. As more than just a friend." Toph was met with silence. "Aang?"

She suddenly felt him hug her. "I like you, too, Toph. As more than just a friend," he whispered.

Toph smiled and, though she couldn't see, she knew Aang was smiling, too.

The two sat like that for a long moment before Toph rose and went back into her earth tent, a smile still dancing about her normally blank face. She was warm all over as she fell asleep, still feeling Aang's hug. _"He likes me!"_

-------

Aang watched as Toph left him. And then his shoulders slumped as he remembered what he was supposed to do. Toph would insist on going with him and she could get hurt! For a moment, he panicked but then a gentle warmth stole over him, calming him. Toph could take care of herself if need be. Besides, when this was over, they wouldn't be in danger anymore. He smiled and closed his eyes. _"She likes me!"_

-------

Nearby, Sokka was deep in dreams, talking with Yue. She looked so beautiful. Her hair was whiter than ever and her light blue eyes had taken on a silver sheen. He smiled in his sleep and snuggled further into his sleeping bag. He would never forget her, his moon spirit; she was always there. She always would be.

* * *

Katara ventured hesitantly out onto the deck. After making sure no one was around, she breathed in the salty sea air, a small smile playing about her lips. She moved to the prow of the ship and lifted her arms to the night sky. Suddenly, she began to bend, bringing up seawater. The water flowed around her and she moved as if in a dance, her eyes closed. She didn't notice the figure that came onto the deck.

-------

Zuko watched As Katara began to waterbend. Her arms and torso flowed with the ribbons of water, making her seem as if she were dancing. Moonlight spilled across the deck to touch Katara, hitting the water and making it seem as if ropes of glittering silver surrounded her.

Something jerked at Zuko's heart and he wanted to turn away from such a lovely sight, but he couldn't. So he stood there watching as she danced with the water, hair flowing freely about her. It looked so much more beautiful that way, though she always seemed beautiful.

Suddenly, Katara spoke, eyes still closed. "Come join me."

Surprised, Zuko hesitated a moment and then stepped forward. Taking a deep breath, Zuko readied himself. After a moment, small spheres of fire began to dance around Katara, moving between her water ribbons and mixing with the moonlight to turn everything gold.

-------

Still keeping the water flowing around her, Katara opened her eyes and took hold of Zuko's hand, drawing him into her world of fire and water. "Now dance with me," she whispered. Zuko hesitated and Katara frowned. "Please? Have a little faith, Zuko."

And with those words, Prince Zuko let himself go. Modifying his technique, Zuko mimicked Katara's movements, making his movements just a bit stronger than hers. His fireballs fused together and mirrored Katara's ribbons of water. As one, the two teenagers closed their eyes and moved, unconsciously moving in exact time.

So intent were they, Katara and Zuko never noticed the others who came onto the deck. The crewmembers watched in fascination as the two benders continued their dance. And, from the shadows, Iroh smiled. Though the two stubborn teens would probably try to forget this, Iroh recognized the dance for what it was. There was love deep in both their hearts. And it was in bending, the most intimate form of expression, when that burgeoning love came out.

Motioning to the crewmembers to follow, Iroh went back below deck. Affection, he knew, often grew better when left alone by others. As he returned to his room, the Dragon of the West, the once formidable General Iroh, grinned, dreams of grand-nephews and nieces running around. Katara would be good for Zuko. Very good.

-------

Slowly, the two dancers stopped. Breathing hard from the dance, they stood there, staring into each other's eyes. Neither noticed when they moved closer. Even if they had, they wouldn't have cared. After what seemed an eternity, their lips met and they closed their eyes. Katara slipped her arms behind Zuko's neck as he wrapped his own about her waist.

-------

She was shocked for a moment but then she relaxed, leaning into the kiss. Katara kept kissing Zuko, knowing she shouldn't but not wanting to stop. _"And why should I?_ she thought dimly. _"It just feels…right."_

-------

Zuko pulled Katara closer, knowing he shouldn't be doing this but unable to make himself care about anything other than holding onto her forever. Though confusion lay right under the surface, Zuko shook it off. The kiss had been so nice. _"It just feels right…"_

-------

The two moved closer together but, after a moment, they pulled reluctantly apart, smiling faintly at each other. Both thought they must be dreaming. Because, if they weren't dreaming, why would they have been so bold? Each sighing in regret, they went below deck, each going their own separate way. They climbed into their beds, each still thinking of the kiss. They were apart but fell asleep at the same moment. That night, they were connected, each dreaming of the other.

* * *

**A/N: All right. Sorry this one was short, too, but I just couldn't bear the thought of interrupting all those nice little moments with Azula or some such thing, you know? So did you like it? Then review! Tell me what you think! You do know, don't you, that you should love me for putting up three chapters in one day. I mean, it wasn't as if I had them just lying around, you know. I wrote them _all_ today. Yep. So love me! Review, please.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ah, another chapter! And put up rather quickly, too. Well, not as quickly as the last ones. Hmm…how much longer will this last? I have no idea…I think my fast writing is because of the weekend. Unfortunately, school _does_ tend to interfere…I shake my fist at the school people…But! Tomorrow is a holiday!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. _sniffle._ **

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_Was it all a dream?_ Katara say up and pushed back her fall of hair. She frowned. Her dream had been so odd, so…_vivid_. Sighing, she turned her body to get out of bed. That was when she noticed the tea-laden tray on the small table beside her cot.

A smile crossed her face. Despite her confused feelings towards Zuko, Katara really rather liked Uncle Iroh. He was nice and funny at times. Her face fell into a frown. She couldn't understand how Uncle Iroh would still be helping Zuko, especially after the young firebender betrayed him. Still…if Sokka ever betrayed _her_, she would still love him, still try and convince him to come back onto her side.

Katara snorted as she picked dup a cup of the steaming tea. Sokka would never betray her. He was fiercely protective of her. Maybe too protective. Suddenly, a wave of sadness washed through her. She lowered her head and cried, her hair hiding her face. She missed them, her friends. And they weren't coming. Aang had promised her he'd go on without her. A tear fell into her tea, and Katara's body began to shake. She was all alone.

"_But you aren't."_ A face appeared in her mind, so real that Katara lifted her hand to touch the scalded scar on his face. But the vision vanished and Katara was left by herself. Again. "Zuko… Why can't I stop thinking about you?" She began to cry even harder, confused beyond all reason. She should hate him for what he did, for what he was trying to do, but she couldn't. Not when he had danced with her.

She stilled, remembering how he had looked in her dream, how his eyes had narrowed in concentration, how she had only been able to see two small lines of gold. She remembered the feel of his fire surrounding her, weaving through her bended water. They had moved perfectly in synch, as if they had carefully planned out every move. More tears fell and she shook her head. But it was just a dream. It couldn't have happened and he couldn't feel the same way about her.

"_But how do I feel?"_ Katara asked herself. _"I'm so confused."_

After a moment, Katara perked up a bit. At least there was someone to talk to. Placing her tea back on the tray, Katara left her room and walked down the corridor, determined not to run away from her problems.

-------

Zuko woke with the vision of his dream still dancing around him. He sat up and stretched, smiling in anticipation of seeing Katara. Abruptly, he stilled. _"What?"_

A smug voice in his head answered him. _"You know it wasn't just a dream."_

He scowled. _"Of course it was. She would never…_I_ would never…"_

"_It was real."_

"_No."_

Growling, Zuko got out of his bed, ignoring the tray of food beside him. He needed to meditate. Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he began, only to stop when Katara's face popped up in his mind. Growling again, he pushed the image away and tried to concentrate on his meditation. But it was impossible. After last night…after the _dream_ last night, he couldn't stop thinking about her. "Katara." He huffed out a breath, disgusted with himself. Even her name sounded beautiful to him.

Shaking his head, he stood. It was pointless to continue trying to meditate. He couldn't help but remember the way Katara had danced, the way her lovely hair had whirled around her, how her sapphire eyes had glowed with silver and gold, lighted by moon and fire. She was stunning. It was no wonder she and the Avatar…

The thought stopped him cold, sent angry fire coursing through him. He didn't understand why the thought of Katara and the Avatar made him so angry.

"_You're jealous."_

"_I'm not."_

"_You are."_

"_I…maybe just a little, but only because anyone would be."_

"_And you regularly follow the crowd."_

Another growl came from him and Zuko stalked from his room, determined to talk to Katara. He wasn't going to let this go on anymore. Last night had been just a dream. Katara would never be able to trust him, not really. Oh, she would a little, but not enough. Not enough to give him her heart.

"_Not that I want it or anything,"_ he hastily added.

That still didn't stop the sly voice in his head from retorting, _"But you do need it."_

"_Shut up."_ He opened Katara's door and then stood there in disbelief. She wasn't there!

"Where could she have gone? We're in the middle of the ocean."

It was then that a saint shout came from above deck. "Land ho!" Zuko groaned and ran towards the stairs leading above deck. But he paused when he heard someone giggling. A _girl_ giggling. Breathing a sigh of relief—that his chance at joining the Avatar hadn't run away—Zuko opened the door to his uncle's room.

And there she was, her face turned slightly towards the door. She was laughing, her sapphire eyes sparkling in amusement. Zuko felt a tug at his heart and he looked instead at his uncle.

-------

Katara stopped laughing as she caught sight of Zuko in the doorway. She nearly groaned in annoyance. She had come to speak with Uncle Iroh about the young firebender and she hadn't even gotten around to it yet. Now, speaking of the devil, he was there, with a glare on his face that could've killed her if looks could do such a thing.

"Nephew! It is so good of you to join us. Miss Katara and I were just discussing the many teas we've come across," Iroh said, standing. "Please, sit."

Zuko stayed where he was. "We've reached land," he said abruptly.

A surge of happiness welled up in Katara and she jumped up, grinning. She and Iroh exchanged looks of pleasure at the news and both turned breathlessly towards Zuko. "Is there a marketplace?"

Zuko was so blinded by Katara's brilliant smile that he couldn't think for a moment. But then he remembered how to talk. "How should I know?" he growled. With that, he left the room. But not before he caught the disappointed looks on Katara's and his Uncle's faces.

"He should check these things before he decides to land on some random island," Katara grumbled. "And I bet there isn't a marketplace, either. Just to spite us."

Iroh was in wholehearted agreement. It was a very sad thing when you landed on an island without a market. "_Maybe_ one will be there?" he asked. But he knew there wouldn't be. All the surrounding islands were small, uninhabited. The chances of a marketplace were very slim.

* * *

"Shouldn't we be out looking for Katara?" Sokka demanded angrily. "She could be anywhere. In trouble. She needs us!"

Aang sighed wearily as he stood and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "You said it yourself, Sokka; she could be anywhere. And, as much as I want to keep looking for her, it's nearly impossible. We'd have to search the entire ocean."

Toph stepped out of her earthen tent and walked over to the two boys. "But, if we were to search the surrounding islands, it would be much easier.

"What?" The two boys turned and looked at her in surprise.

Shaking her head, Toph said, "Look. This Zuko guy didn't take her just for her company, right? He must have another motive. It's not like he's going to run forever. Jeez. I swear; boys are so dumb." She turned around, only to stand where she was, arms crossed over her chest. "Will someone help me?" she muttered angrily.

Aang blushed wildly and helped her up onto Appa. Sokka clambered up behind them. "All right," the warrior said, motioning wildly with his hands. "We'll start with the closest island first and then work our way through them. They _have_ to be on one of them, right?"

Toph leaned in Aang's general direction. "Thought that up all by himself, too. Amazing, isn't it?" Aang laughed.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly. Toph and Aang laughed all the harder. Sometimes it was good to escape from all the worry. But it was still there, between them. After a moment their laughter faded into an uncomfortable silence. They missed Katara.

* * *

"Ty Lee. How good to see you. You didn't turn back too soon, I hope?"

Ty Lee smiled up at Azula. "Nope. Zuko kidnapped one of the Avatar's friends."

"And the Avatar?"

"He followed Zuko."

A slow smirk worked its way onto Azula's face. "Good." She laughed. "And to think, I'm killing _three_ birds with one stone."

Mai frowned. "Three? I thought the Avatar had four friends."

"The Avatar's little friends don't count. No. What matters is that we catch the Avatar and teach ZuZu a lesson. His friends are unimportant."

Ty Lee bounced on the balls of her feet. "Except for that Waterbender, right? I mean, she did escape you, Azula. You must want to catch her, too."

Azula scowled. "That little _peasant_ is _nothing_. She got lucky. But I assure you, it won't happen again." Her smirk reappeared. "When ZuZu hands us the Avatar, I'll tell him _exactly_ how Father feels about him. He'll understand, too. After all, my brother is a weakling. And weaklings don't deserve the respect of those who are obviously so much stronger. Oh, believe me. After this is over, we won't have to deal with my poor older brother ever again."

Zuko watched silently as Katara bounded off the sloop, diving right into the water. He twitched, as if he were moving to save her, but then her head appeared above the water. He stared as her slim body rose further into the air, held up by a swirling column of water. It suddenly occurred to him that she was a very, very powerful bender.

He shook his head as memories of his dream drifted into his mind. She looked just as lovely, laughing as water encased her lower half. Letting out a huff of air, Zuko left the ship and stood in the sand, watching as the crew placed their things beside him. When everything was done, Zuko told them they could go. If all went according to plan, they wouldn't need a ship. They would be flying with the Avatar.

Glancing back at the water, he noticed that Katara was swimming back to shore. Her blue eyes sparkled and danced. Zuko turned away. Why did he felt his way?

A hand touched his shoulder and Zuko looked at his uncle. "You've made the right choice, Nephew."

Zuko sighed and watched Katara walk onto the beach. It seemed he had.

* * *

**A/N: Yeeeeee! I know it's a bit cliché to have them stuck together on an island, but Uncle Iroh is there, if you'll remember. He'll monitor the teens…and maybe instigate a few moments alone. After all, he wants to see Zutara as much as the rest of us. Please review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for reviewing! There's still not too many, tho…sad. But! I love all those who did review! You are the best people in the world!! Anywho…here's my latest chapter…but you probably knew that already, huh? Sorry. I have a horrible habit of stating the obvious.**

**Note: I now have seventy-five cents. I'm getting closer to realizing my dream of owning _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. sigh. I don't own it. Yet. **

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

Katara, finished with her romp in the water, trudged onto the beach, bending the seawater from her clothes. When she looked up and caught Zuko watching her, a blush rose to her cheeks. Quickly, she averted her eyes, pushing the memories of her dream out of her mind. She carefully avoided the object of her thoughts and stopped in front of Iroh.

"So are we going to wait here for Aang to come?" she asked softly.

Iroh nodded. "I should hope so." He glanced at his nephew. "Zuko really didn't have to kidnap anyone, but I think he was still debating on what to do."

Katara cocked her head to the side. "So he kidnapped me because he wasn't sure whether he wanted to play nice or not?" She threw her hands up and plopped down on the sand. "Great. Just great."

Zuko turned and glared at Katara. "_He_'s standing right over here. I can hear you, you know."

The waterbender turned her head and stuck out her tongue. "I know. Why do you think I was talking so loud?"

Her eyes were sparkling with laughter and it took Zuko a moment to realize she was playing with him. At first he frowned but then a small smile worked its way across his face. Soon he was laughing and Katara joined in. How long had it been since he laughed?

Iroh watched as his nephew began to laugh. It had been a long time since he had heard such a sound. The old man sniffed and turned away, wiping a tear from his eye. It was a good thing. Zuko had faced so much hardship and confusion in the past four years that Iroh hadn't been certain there was anything to change him. Now he realized it wasn't a _what_ but a _who_. Katara would work wonders on Zuko. Iroh was glad he hadn't been able to convince Zuko of a more subtle approach to join the Avatar.

After a moment, the laughter faded and Katara stood. "I'll go get some firewood," she murmured.

Zuko stood as well. "Why?"

Katara sent him a look that spoke one word. _Duh_. "I don't know about you, but I really don't like eating raw fish."

The firebender just stared at her. "Fish?"

"Yeah. You know, the little things that swim in the water. You cook them and eat them? Fish."

"But we don't have any fish."

At this point, Katara turned and began walking away. "Then you better catch some, huh?"

Zuko was in shock. He had caught fish before—of course he had—but he wasn't used to being bossed around by a girl. Or anyone, really. Still, he wasn't used to laughing, either. He sighed.

"_Now. How to catch a fish from the ocean…"_

Chuckling to himself at the confused look on Zuko's face, Iroh decided to take pity on his nephew. "It looks as if there might be a stream nearby, Prince Zuko. Perhaps there are fish there."

Zuko looked back at his uncle. "But what if there isn't?"

"I'll catch some fish just in case."

Knowing when his uncle was trying to help him, Zuko nodded and tramped off into the direction Iroh had pointed.

* * *

An hour or so later, both Katara and Zuko came back empty-handed. Well, not exactly. Katara had at least found some fruit. Zuko, on the other hand, seemed to have found his temper. He was seething, and wet. Steam was coming off of him in waves. Katara took one look at him and began to giggle. That sent more steam pouring from his clothes.

"What?" he growled, trying not to be distracted by how pretty Katara looked when she laughed. Her nose crinkled up a bit and her eyes…her eyes lit up.

Seeing that Katara had no firewood, Iroh's face fell. He had, of course, caught some fish. Suddenly, he perked up. Well, they could still cook the fish! And, the lack of firewood presented another wonderful idea. Though it was summer, it was sure to get cold at night. And, while they had blankets, they were thin. Firebenders, after all, managed to keep quite warm. Iroh's smile widened. But not waterbenders…

"Sorry, Uncle Iroh," Katara said as she spied his fish. "There's hardly any wood on this island." She sighed. "There was some driftwood, of course, but not nearly enough for a fire. Tress, too, but they were big and old and I didn't have the heart to cut them down."

"That's fine, Miss Katara. Prince Zuko and I are firebenders, after all." Iroh patted her hand. "We can cook the fish. Right, Nephew?"

Zuko tore his eyes away from Katara. "What? Oh, yes. Of course."

Katara beamed, feeling better, and handed out the fruit. "There's more where that came from, so eat up."

They did, with Iroh and Zuko each taking turns frying the fish in a flat rock nearby. All in all, it was a good meal. But Katara couldn't help but wonder how much longer they'd be on the island before Aang came. She sighed as she watched the sun slip beneath the horizon. If he came at all.

* * *

"Come on, Sokka. I want to find Katara as much as you do, but it's getting dark! We can't search in the dark!" Aang's stomach began to growl. "Besides. I'm hungry. And I bet you are, too."

"I'm not," Sokka protested. A second later, his stomach moaned loud enough to send Momo into frightened chatter. "Okay, maybe I am," he admitted sheepishly.

Beside the boys, Toph snorted. "You're _always_ hungry," she said, walking off.

"Where are you going, Toph?" Aang asked, bounding after her.

The earthbender turned. "Where do you _think_ I'm going? I've been on Appa all day."

Aang looked confused and then he blushed. "Oh." He fell back. "Okay."

Behind him, Sokka was snickering. "Even I got that, Aang."

Without saying a word, Aang walked over to Appa and buried his face in the flying bison's fur. That had been embarrassing.

"Aang, why are you sniffing Appa?"

The airbender turned and saw that Toph had come back. Flashing an embarrassed smile, he scratched his head. "Uh. No reason. I just thought that Appa might need a bath, so I was, uh, checking how his—how did you know what I was doing?"

"Sokka told me," Toph answered. "Let me know when there's some food ready." With that, the earthbender made herself another earth tent and crawled inside. She was tired.

As Aang lit the fire with a small spark, he asked, "How many islands did we search today?"

"Three," Sokka answered dully. "It could take at least a _week_ to find Katara."

"What if they didn't stop, Sokka? We could be wasting time. Katara could get hurt."

Sokka sighed. "I know, Aang, but it's the best plan we've got." Suddenly, he growled. "Why did that crazy firebender take Katara on his ship anyway? If he really wanted to catch you, Aang, all he needed to do was walk into camp with Katara as his prisoner. Why did he run?"

"Maybe he wanted to talk," Aang suggested. "Katara fought him; we know she did. Maybe he panicked and ran."

"Talk? TALK!?" Sokka stood, yelling and flailing his arms. "Why do you think he'd want to _talk_, Aang? Do you really think he wants to join us and teach you how to firebend? You heard Katara; she gave him the chance and he threw it back in her face! No. I think he's just a coward and doesn't want to face you in a fair fight. That's all."

"You don't know that Sokka."

"Aang, you're grasping at straws. You have to get it through your head that Zuko is not a nice guy! He's been trying to capture you for over a year now! We can't rest; he's _always_ after us. And now he has Katara! Why would he kidnap her if he just wanted to talk?"

Aang hung his head. "I don't know. But I just don't think he's that bad. I mean, I know he's been chasing us around, but maybe he has a good reason."

"Fine. Believe what you want, Aang. But, when we find him, that _bastard_ is going to have to deal with me, no matter what he wants to do." Sokka grabbed some freshly cooked food and stomped off, yelping when the food burned his fingers.

After a moment, Toph poked her head out. "Is the food ready?"

"Yeah."

* * *

**Did you like it? I was asked why Zuko kidnapped Katara if he really just wanted to talk to Aang. Well, I think he was still a bit confused about what he was going to do and sort of kidnapped Katara for a "just in case" thing. You know, just in case he decided to capture Aang or whatever. But! I'm happy to say his good conscious won over. All right. You know the routine. Review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Here comes another gushy chapter, so prepare yourselves for the obvious scenario! Oh, there are no kisses or anything like that, only moments that would make a studio audience go "awww," when prompted. I must warn you, tho…this is short…But, enjoy! And keep reviewing!**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

Katara shivered and sent a dark look towards Iroh and Zuko. _They_ were warm. _They_ weren't lying in the sand beneath a thin blanket freezing to death. No! They weren't. _She_ was. And did they care? Of course not. Why? Because _they_ were _warm_. Stupid firebenders.

Her teeth began to chatter. _"Great. It's summer time, for crying out loud! Can't I get a break?"_

"_Apparently not."_ Katara sighed, huffing out a breath. This was _not_ going to be a good night. If only she had looked harder to find firewood instead of getting lost in all the flowers and streams…

-------

Zuko woke to the sound of chattering teeth. Confused, he looked around. And that's when he spotted Katara a few feet away. She was huddled beneath her blanket, shivering and shaking, body curled into a ball.

Shaking his head, Zuko rose and walked over to her. Without saying a word, he lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around the shivering waterbender. At first she stiffened but, as his body warmth seeped into her, Katara snuggled closer.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Go to sleep," Zuko said roughly.

Warm now, Katara resisted the urge to laugh. Instead, she moved closer to Zuko, her head against his chest. For such a seemingly cold person, he did seem rather warm. And surprisingly nice. Katara sighed and drifted off to sleep in the arms of the firebender.

-------

As the sound of Katara's chattering teeth did down, Iroh opened his eyes and smiled. The two were getting closer. And in a surprisingly short time. Oh, he was no fool; he knew that the two teens thought their dance the night before was just a dream…or at least they were trying to convince themselves it was a dream. Still, there was hope. Hope for Zuko, hope for everyone.

* * *

Toph's sightless eyes snapped open. She felt something. Shaking the sleep from her mind, the earthbender rose to her knees and placed her hands on the ground, trying to "see" what was wrong. And she saw. There was Aang, hidden in his own little mound of earth, trying to muffle the sounds of his tears. Without hesitation, Toph left her earthen tent and approached him, making just enough sound to warn him she was coming.

"You all right, Twinkle Toes?" she asked.

Aang didn't answer. Concerned, Toph put her hand on the earthen mound. And then snatched it away, shocked. She had "seen" his face! Molded by the earth that surrounded all but his mouth, Aang's face was quite visible through the rock and dirt.

"Aang," Toph said, her voice holding a note of uncertainty. "Please, come out."

-------

Aang ignored Toph's first entreaty but, when he heard the fear in her voice the second time, he let his shelter fall. The tears in his eyes disappeared when he saw the astonishment on the earthbender's face.

"What is it, Toph?" he asked her, moving forward slowly.

She shook her head. "I saw you…"

Aang stopped. "What?"

"I saw you in there, Aang…I—" she turned away. "Never mind."

"Toph?"

She sighed. "You were crying. I heard you and came to see what was wrong but when I touched the earth…I _saw_ you, Aang. I saw you."

Aang's heart stilled. "What's wrong, Toph?"

Toph moved closer and reached out her hand. Aang took it without thinking. "You're…nice."

"N-nice?" Aang asked, his voice squeaking.

Toph gave a rare smile. "Yeah. Nice."

Aang smiled in return. "That's nice."

* * *

_Katara dreamt she was in Zuko's arms. They were dancing again, but this time they weren't bending on the ship. No. This time, they were in a great, majestic hall colored in the Fire Nation style._

_They were at the center of attention, but she didn't mind. She didn't mind because he was there with her, smiling with his golden eyes looking straight into hers. _

"_You look lovely, Katara."_

_She smiled, happy. But there was something odd about him, something different…And that's when she noticed. His scar. It was gone. "Zuko," she whispered, "your scar…"_

_Zuko smiled again. "It was never there, not really." _

_With a sigh, Katara leaned her head on his shoulder. "I could dance all night with you, Zuko." Suddenly she frowned. "But this is a dream. Like the other one."_

"_No. Not like the other one," he replied. "This may be a dream but the other wasn't. You know it wasn't."_

"_What?"_

_Abruptly, she found herself on the ship again, facing Zuko…and herself. They looked so beautiful together it was heartbreaking. Water and fire swirled together, nearly one element. So lovely. _

"_Do you see?"_

_Katara turned to find the other Zuko standing just behind her. "Yes."_

_Another smile. He lifted his hand to her chin and turned her head back to the sight. "Watch."_

_And she did. She saw she and Zuko lean in, eyes closing, and then kiss. Gasping, Katara touched her own tingling lips. "Not a dream?" she asked. But there was no answer. Turning, the unscarred Zuko was nowhere to be seen. And then…_

"_Never a dream, Katara." _

-------

_Zuko found himself falling into her eyes. They stood back at the North Pole oasis. This time, though, they were older. She looked so lovely. Her blue eyes sparkled and her hair, freed, blew gently out behind her. He lifted his hand to her cheek. _

"_Katara…"_

_She laughed gently and lifted her hand to his scar, mirroring his actions. "Zuko?"_

_He pulled back. "My scar…"_

_She laughed again. "Was never really there."_

"_But…"_

_Another brilliant smile. "We're at the North Pole, Zuko." And with those she leaned down, encasing her hand in water from the oasis. Gently, still smiling, she lifted her hand back to his scar and began to heal him. _

_Zuko shook his head. "This is just a dream. A dream just like the other, Katara."_

"_No," she said. "Not like the other. The other wasn't a dream. And this doesn't have to be, either. Not if you don't want it to be." _

"_What?"_

"_Shh." She placed a finger on his lips. "Just feel, Zuko," she said, before kissing him lightly. _

_When she pulled back, he cocked his head to the side, losing himself in her sapphire eyes. "It wasn't a dream?"_

"_Never a dream, Zuko."_

They woke at the same time, just as the sun was rising, still locked in the mists of dreams. Katara and Zuko smiled at each other.

"Hello," Zuko whispered.

"Hello," Katara whispered back, smiling.

They leaned forward, lips coming closer and then…

"Good morning, Zuko, Katara!"

The two took one horrified look at Uncle Iroh and scrambled back. It was just a dream! Or was it?

"_Never a dream." _

* * *

**Did you like it? Sorry it's so short, but school work, you know? Chemistry sucks, by the way...Anywho...review! I love them all, so review, review, review (funny, my chem. teacher said nearly the exact same thing today...weird...)!**

**Oh, and to all those who reviewed last time...and the times before that...you are like, the key stone...yeah...the key stone...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Oops. I realized I totally lied in my last chapter…I said there would be no kissing and there just happened to be a couple…maybe you should just ignore my rantings…I seem to state the obvious and hand out false information…yeah, so…wait! never mind! Read! Read every word! I need your input! Gah…just…here's my chapter…**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

"They must have landed on one of these islands." A faint smirk played about Azula's lips she spoke. "The game of cat and mouse has begun. And poor ZuZu never _has_ been too good at it."

Mai frowned slightly. She still wasn't comfortable with Azula's double-crossing. The young noblewoman still thought of Zuko often. Her crush had never really gone away. "So we're going after Zuko?" she asked flatly.

"No," Ty Lee answered for Azula, jumping down from a tree to land right before her stoic friend. "We catch the Avatar by following Zuko, thereby catching Zuko, and by doing so catch the Avatar. Right, Azula?"

The Fire Nation princess rolled her eyes. "We follow the Avatar and wait fro him to meet with Zuko. _That_'s when we'll spring our trap."

"You plan on fighting everyone at once?"

Azula shook her head and smiled at Mai. "Of course not. You recall the Dai Li?" Mai nodded. "They've been following us. We have our own army, girls."

Ty Lee stopped her acrobatics to stare at Azula. "But—"

The princess cut her off. "Ty Lee; I want you to go ahead again. They won't suspect you of anything if they spot you alone. When you find them, signal us."

Ty Lee's shoulders sagged in resignation. "How? I can't firebend like you."

This time, the smile that crossed Azula's face seemed nearly evil. "Do you still carry flash powder?" Ty Lee nodded. "Use that, as a demonstration for the Avatar, of course. That will signal to us where you are. We'll follow you then and let the Avatar lead us to my brother and uncle."

"Azula…"

"Yes?" Her voice held a definite bite and Ty Lee backed down.

"Do you want me to signal every night?"

"One should suffice, Ty Lee."

The acrobat nodded and then leapt away, heading to a fishing village nearby. She would find a small boat there, she knew. Soon, she would be off to sail around the islands, searching for the Avatar. Again. This was no fun and, what was worse, Azula's quest for ever more power was pulling Ty Lee in deeper than she ever thought she would go.

And now she was on her own, about to row between islands, all in the quest to help the ruin of the world. Ty Lee sighed. All she wanted was to go back to the circus. At least there, she knew what was going to happen. At least there she brought smiles to people. And she was _happy_. This didn't make her happy. Not in the least.

As Ty Lee moved away, Mai glanced towards Azula. "Do you think she'll do as she's told?"

"She knows better than to betray me."

* * *

"There's another one!"

Hearing Sokka's enthusiastic announcement, Toph groaned and fell back. "Great," she muttered. "More searching."

Sokka turned. "Well, we wouldn't have to take so long on the islands if you would just tell us whether or not anyone is on there," he retorted.

"You try to see everything through a network of roots and tunnels, with animals running around. I've been _trying_."

"Then try harder," Sokka growled.

"_You_ try harder!"

The two began to bicker making Aang turn around. "She can't do everything, Sokka. We're trying to find her as quickly as we can, but it's going to take a while."

Sokka huffed out a breath and sat back down, arms crossed over his chest. "Just take us down, Aang."

The bald monk nodded and guided Appa down. Again. It was getting monotonous, and frustrating, trying to find Katara this way. Why did Zuko have to make it so hard? And why hadn't Katara managed to send them a sign?

"_Because you promised her you wouldn't come after her. She thinks you're not coming."_

"_But I am. I _am_ coming." _

"_But she doesn't know that. You made a promise; you should have kept it."_

"_I could never leave Katara. Ever."_

"Aang."

The airbender turned, Sokka having startled him out of his thoughts. "What?"

"We better find some cover. I don't like the look of those clouds."

Aang turned and looked to where Sokka was pointing. There, just to the east, giant clouds were forming, dark thunderclouds building higher and higher. It was a massive storm. "Where can we go?"

"There's a network of caves nearby," Toph answered, rising from the ground. "It seems pretty uninhabited, but I can't be sure."

"All right. Let's go."

Sokka frowned. "What about Katara?"

Aang turned. "We can't find her in the middle of a storm, Sokka. It's too dangerous. We'll have to wait it out."

"But what if something happens?"

Toph laughed suddenly. "To Sugar Queen? Dream on, Sokka. She can handle herself for a few more days. Don't worry so much."

Sokka watched as Aang and Toph moved off. After a moment, he followed. "I can't help it," he whispered to their backs. "She's my sister."

* * *

Katara had been avoiding Zuko all morning. Though she admitted she liked him, she still was uncertain about the depth of her feelings. And his. To all appearances, Zuko didn't seem to like her too much. And now she was stuck here on an island with him. With what looked like a major storm coming. And, goodie of goodies…she would be stuck in this small cave with him and his uncle—though Iroh was pretty nice—all through the storm. And who knew how long _that_ would last?

She sighed and walked out of the cave they had found earlier and out onto the rocks beyond. The wind was blowing fiercely, lifting her hair and causing the dark strands to flare out behind her. A light rain began and Katara smiled, raising her hands in welcome. Oh, how she loved the rain. In the rain, everything seemed to be washed away, leaving both body and soul cleansed. It was truly beautiful.

-------

She was beautiful.

Zuko was trudging back from his expedition. He and his Uncle had worked nearly all morning to cut down a tree and chop firewood. A storm was coming and Katara couldn't depend on his body heat to keep her warm **(A/N: darn. And we were all so hoping…)**.

As he left the trees and began walking back to the cave, Zuko stopped, staring at the sight before him. It was raining gently and Katara was poised at the edge of a small cliff, arms raised in welcome. She fairly glowed, even the dim morning light. Her hair, always so lovely, blew around her, teasing her waist, and emphasizing its small size.

It wasn't until his uncle walked into him that Zuko noticed he was no longer moving.

"Is something wrong, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko shook himself, tearing his eyes away from Katara. "No. I was just thinking," he replied.

As Zuko moved, Iroh spotted Katara and smiled knowingly. She had begun to dance and poor Zuko was stumbling as he tried to carry the firewood and watch her at the same time. "A beautiful sight, isn't it, Nephew?"

Zuko nearly fell. "What?" he asked quickly.

"The sky," Iroh replied, trying to hold back his laughter. "The clouds and the sun are dancing quite beautifully."

"D-dancing, Uncle?"

"Dancing. One would almost believe it was a dream, but it most certainly is not."

"Not a dream?" Zuko had the sudden feeling that his uncle wasn't just talking about the sky.

"Of course not, Prince Zuko," Iroh replied, his tone full of secret laughter. "It's right before your eyes, is it not?"

Zuko slipped into the cave and placed his firewood far from the mouth. "I suppose not, Uncle."

"You must admit that one could very well fall in love."

"What?!" This time, Zuko turned, eyes wide.

Iroh's smile began to peek out. "This place. It's lovely enough to fall in love with." He blinked innocently. "A man could very well get used to such pure beauty. The water is a lovely, sapphire blue and sometimes, just as the sun us rising or setting, it seems as if the whole ocean is set ablaze."

"Ocean Fire?" It was a concept Zuko had heard of before. His mother had once sung to him of how the seas were set ablaze in the memory of two lovers and that, as the sun kissed the horizon, their lives became as one, as the ocean caught fire.

"Why Prince Zuko. I never believed you were so fond of those old love songs."

Growling low at his uncle's tricks, Zuko turned away. "I'm not," he said tersely, just as Katara walked into the cave.

"Not what?" she asked.

Iroh turned and sent Katara a brilliant smile. "We were just debating on whether or not my Nephew should call you in from the rain. But it appears as if there was no need."

Though she seemed doubtful, Katara said nothing and merely shrugged, taking a seat towards the back of the cave. "When will we be able to have some tea, Uncle Iroh?" she asked instead.

"As soon as Zuko builds our fire."

The young bender groaned. This was going to be a _long_ storm.

* * *

**Did you like it? More clichés, I'm afraid, but what can you do? But! Just think about what might happen if Zuko and Katara both stomped off and got lost in the storm together? Oooh…do I have your attention? Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Here we go. A brand new chapter. I know it's been a while, but I had chemistry homework and then I spent the weekend with my friends, having movie-thons and practicing with various weapons and what not…well, now… Will the two lovebirds-to-be find themselves alone? Let's hope so. here it is. Enjoy! And remember…review please!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

Katara watched Zuko as he stared into the fire. She wondered what he was thinking about. Was he thinking of his choices? Was he wondering whether or not he made the right choice? Or was he thinking about something else all together?

"_Dream on, Katara."_

She sighed sadly, entranced by the way the light of the fire danced across Zuko's skin. He could never feel the same way she did. She cared for him, this firebender, though she had told herself not to. How deeply that caring and affection went, Katara didn't know. But she did know that she could never tell Zuko unless she knew how he felt.

"_He seems so lonely. Maybe the best way to begin a friendship is by offering solace in the midst of the storm."_

Agreeing, for once, with her inner voice, Katara rose and crossed the cave to sit beside Zuko. Though he turned his head to look at her, he didn't seem surprised that she had joined him.

"What are you thinking about?" Katara asked, keeping her voice quiet. Iroh was asleep and she didn't want to wake him up.

Zuko turned back to the fire. "Nothing," he replied gruffly. "You wouldn't understand."

Katara moved closer. "Try me."

The firebender turned startled eyes on Katara. He was silent for a moment, his golden eyes simply searching her sapphire ones. Then he nodded. "I was thinking about my mother…and the night she disappeared."

Katara tried not to gasp. Disappeared? Though she, too, had lost her mother, at least she knew what happened to her. Zuko didn't. Anything could have happened to her.

Zuko went on, his words gushing out as if, now that he had told her one thing, he simply _needed_ to tell all of it. "My father had taken our family in to see Fire Lord Azulon. This was just after Uncle Iroh lost his son and my father suggested that Azulon make _him_ Fire Lord, though Uncle's older. Grandfather was furious and sent everyone but my father from the chamber. But Azula and I hid."

He sighed and Katara placed a hand on his arm, silently urging him to continue. "I ran away after a few moments but Azula stayed. That night, Azula came and told me that Azulon was going to make my father kill me. I shouted at her and our mother came in. She took Azula aside to speak with her and then left. Later, when I was sleeping, my mother came into my room and told me that everything she had done she did for me." A frown flickered across his face and he abruptly turned away. "I never found out what happened to her and, what's worse, I'm responsible. Somehow, I know it's my fault."

His shoulders began to shake and Katara gently turned him, wrapping him in a comforting hug. "It's not your fault, Zuko. You couldn't have known what was going to happen. And you don't know what _did_ happen, only that she disappeared."

They fell into a comfortable silence and then Katara shifted away. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand. "Zuko? How did you get your scar?"

Zuko visibly jumped. "I—" Suddenly, he stood and walked towards the back of the cave. "I'm tired. I think I'll turn in."

"Zuko." He stopped. "Zuko, you can't run from this. If you ever hope to do any good, you're going to have to start trusting someone. You'll have to start trusting _me_."

For a moment he didn't say anything, merely stood there. Then, without turning, he said, "I'm a _prince_. Why would I ever trust a peasant like you?"

"W-_what?_"

"You heard me, _peasant_. I. Don't. Have. To. Trust. You."

Katara moved closer, hand held out in entreaty. "I thought…"

At that moment, he turned, a scornful look on his face. "What? That we could be _friends_? I'm joining the Avatar to get back at my father, not because I've 'turned good' or whatever."

Katara's arm dropped at the contempt in his voice. After a moment, her face hardened. "I thought you changed, Zuko," she whispered fiercely, her words all too familiar. "But it appears you're still the same heartless person I believed you to be. Have a nice time trying to find convince Aang without me." And with that, she ran from the cave, disappearing into the raging storm.

It took Zuko a moment for his anger to cool but, when it did, he nearly cried out. What had he been thinking?

"_You weren't."_

He had tried to avoid her questions, had tried to stop himself from telling her anymore, but when she kept asking, anger had boiled up inside. And it had spilled over, only to burn the one person that Zuko never wanted to hurt. Her sapphire eyes had filled with tears because of _him_. _Again_. And now she was gone. She was out in the storm, crying and upset.

_I thought you changed…_ Oh, how he wished to never hear those words from her again. How he wished he would never give her another reason to utter them.

"_Oh no."_ He raced to the mouth of the cave, ignoring the rain that blew in, soaking him to the bone. "Katara! Katara, come back! Kataraaaaaaa!" Glancing back at his uncle, Zuko stepped out into the storm and followed the only thing he could see; a dim patch of blue cloth. It was dangerous to run out into the storm like that, but he needed to find her. He _had_ to.

-------

Iroh woke up to find the cave eerily quiet. Though the storm raged outside, there was no noise from _inside_. Frantically, he looked around, but the place was empty. A flash of lighting lit up the cave, followed almost instantly by a thunderous crash. Zuko and Katara were gone, probably lost in the storm, and Iroh knew that it would be too dangerous to go and search for them until morning.

Another crash shook the cave and Iroh bowed his head. "Agni protect them."

* * *

Katara ran through the trees, nearly sightless from tears and rain. She was blind and, though she could easily bend the water away from her, she was too upset and too tired to do it. She splashed through a deep stream and scrambled up the other side.

She shouldn't have left the cave. She knew that, but at the moment, she didn't want to turn back. Zuko had been so cruel. How could she face him again? Above her, lightning tore the sky in two. Thunder followed not a second later. She gave a small cry and went faster, wanting to find somewhere safe she could rest for the night. She would return when the storm stopped.

Through the trees, Katara spotted what looked like another cave. Grinning triumphantly, she picked up the pace, only to trip over a root. She went flying, letting out a loud cry. She felt herself hit a tree and then all went black.

-------

Zuko was thoroughly lost when the patch of blue he had been following suddenly disappeared. His heart stopped and he ran to the place where he had last seen it. Frantically, he looked around, hoping he could make out where she had gone, though he doubted he would.

Suddenly, he heard a faint moan through the sound of thunder and rain. He cast his golden eyes down and searched the forest floor, finally breathing when he spotted her crumpled next to a tree. But, as he drew closer, his heart started to pound again. Her face was covered in blood and her tanned skin was abnormally pale.

He knelt in the mud and gently lifted her. As he stood, Zuko looked around, needing to find his way back to the cave. He didn't find his own trail, but he did find what looked like another cave. Katara had probably been running towards it when she hit her head.

He walked as quickly as he dared with Katara limp in his arms. When he reached the cave, he thankfully rushed in and set about trying to find something for a fire. Luckily, there was a bit of wood in the cave, along with leaves and dried sweet grass.

When the fire was lit, Zuko tore a bit of his shirt and held it in the rain, wetting it so that he could clean Katara's wounds. Luckily, the cut wasn't too deep and he didn't think that she had had a concussion. Still, he lay down beside her and wrapped his arms about her, lending his body heat in addition to the fire. He kissed her forehead lightly and drifted off to sleep, hopeful that the storm would stop in the morning. He would apologize to Katara and they would return to the other cave. Everything would be all right.

-------

Unbeknownst to Zuko, the water was rising. Beneath the cover of thunder, there was a small roar and a creek began to swirl dangerously, its banks overflowing. Seawater flooded into the stream, having finally conquered the natural dam that had held it back. The water became deeper and deeper. No one would be able to cross this.

* * *

**All right, sorry it's short, but I was kind of in a hurry on this one. I hope you enjoyed it, though. Please review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Here's the chapter! Heehee…I hope you like it! Sorry it took so long to update. My computer was being a butt.**

**I have a $1.13! woohoo! _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, here I come…in about thirty more years…sigh…if only I _did_ own it.**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve**

Zuko woke just as the sun started to peek out from behind the clouds. Opening his eyes, he looked at Katara. Her color had returned and she was breathing normally, though there was a nasty bruise just below her hairline on the left side of her forehead. Despite the discoloration, Zuko thought she looked lovely, especially with the sun pouring into the cave, lighting her beautiful features.

"_Beautiful?"_ He jumped up and moved across the cave in case she woke up. He didn't want her to start yelling at him first thing in the morning.

But she didn't wake up, not for a long while. Figuring she was probably exhausted from her flight in the storm, Zuko began to meditate, not willing to leave her by herself. She could wake up and then decide to run off again.

Still, when noon came and went, Zuko began to worry. Even if she was tired, she shouldn't sleep so long. Frowning, he crossed the cave and knelt beside her. For a moment, he simply stared at her and then reached down to shake her shoulder. Only his hand didn't make it to her shoulder. Instead, he began brushing back her dark hair.

"Katara."

She stirred and a smile crossed Zuko's face. "Katara, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open and Zuko's heart contracted. He hastily looked away from those deep, sapphire pools as heat rose to his face.

-------

"_Katara."_

Katara woke to the sound of his voice.

"_Katara, wake up."_

She opened her eyes and found Zuko staring worriedly down at her. Katara smiled but after a moment, Zuko turned away. Disgusted, Katara decided to ignore him. Happy with her decision, she tried to sit up, using her arms to push herself up. But then her head began to pound furiously and her stomach began to roll. She groaned and collapsed back to the cave floor. And then her stomach began to growl.

"_Great."_

"Why don't you make yourself useful and get some breakfast?" Katara asked peevishly. She hated that he was just standing there, his golden eyes not even _looking_ at her.

Zuko bit back a nasty retort and hurriedly left the cave. The faster the better. Katara was distracting him with her sapphire eyes and vulnerable state. Plus they were all alone, and Zuko was nervous about what might happen without his uncle popping up every few minutes **(A/N: oooh…we know what _that_ means, don't we?)**.

He stepped out and walked a ways, trying not to think about how beautiful Katara looked when she first woke up. But it was almost like telling him not to breath. Even if he were blind, he'd still feel her, hear her.

Huffing out a breath, Zuko searched for some food—not that he knew what to look for—but he couldn't really find anything. The forest was wet and leaves and branches were everywhere, littering the ground. He didn't see any fruit, and there was an odd roaring sound. It sounded almost like a fast-moving river, but that wasn't right. The closest water was the small stream Zuko had crossed while following Katara.

At that thought, his blood ran cold. It had rained hard nearly all night. Could it be possible? Zuko ran towards the sound and when he got to the creek, he nearly cried. Instead of a creek, he faced a large channel, separating him and Katara from the other part of the island. And it wasn't as if he could simply swim across. Oh, no. It seemed that the ocean had invaded, making the now river swirl dangerously.

"Oh no." He sat down. This was horrible.

"_Well, at least you're trapped with Katara…"_

Zuko stilled. _"What? Where did _that_ come from?"_

"_Oh come on,"_ said the voice in his head, _"you know you like her. And you know that you like her just enough to not mind if the two of you were trapped here forever."_

"_Shut up."_

Though his inner voice had a lot more to say, Zuko shut it out, trying not to think about the fact that he was actually talking to himself.

He stood and went back to the cave, empty handed and gloomy. He would have to tell Katara the bad news. But, when he returned to the cave, she had fallen asleep again.

"Wonderful," he mumbled, sitting on the cave floor. "Just wonderful."

* * *

It wasn't too hard to find the Avatar and his flying bison. And it wasn't exactly hard to follow them, either. The challenge was figuring out a way to "bump" into them and join their group.

Ty Lee watched the Avatar and his two friends from some low brush. "Right," she whispered. "Now how should I do this?"

She sighed. The easiest way was to get caught. And she had a feeling that the earthbender already knew she was there.

Sure enough, The Water Tribe boy ran over to the bushes, boomerang in his hand. Ty Lee smiled as he reached to pull her out of the bushes. Like he would have time to do anything.

-------

"What are you doing here?" Sokka growled when Ty Lee jumped out of the bushes.

The girl smiled and did a couple of flips. "I'm tired of following Azula everywhere; you won't believe how _boring_ she can get. Always talking about capturing the Avatar and betraying her brother and what have you." She stopped and glanced back at him over her shoulder. "I must admit; you guys seem _so_ much more interesting."

Though he officially considered Ty Lee an enemy, Sokka puffed up at her compliment.

Meanwhile, Aang sent her a tired but warm smile and walked over to her. "You can join us if you want," he said quietly.

Sokka's jaw dropped. "First you suggest Zuko's a nice guy and now you want to give out invitations to someone who's been hunting us? Are you nuts? Did your injury damage your head or something?"

Toph stomped over to him and tapped the ground with her foot. Sokka went flying. "If Aang trusts her then we should give her a chance."

The warrior stood, rubbing his backside. "Since when did you get to be so nice?"

Toph knocked him back to the ground. "Since Sugar Queen isn't here."

"Toph…"

Ty Lee grinned at Aang. "Don't worry; I already knew. Azula wanted me to spy on you guys and I _said_ I would, but it's not that fun. I mean, you guys always seem to have such a great time and I'm stuck just watching you. It's not fair."

"Well…" Aang glanced towards Sokka who seemed surprisingly calm. "We're looking for Katara right now. We think Zuko's got her."

Ty Lee nodded sympathetically and then jumped into a tree. "Apparently, he's decided to switch sides again, else he would be dangling her in front of your face."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" Sokka yelled up at her.

She shrugged and then began doing flips on the branch. "I don't know. I'm not his royal babysitter."

For a long moment, Sokka tried to hold back his laughter but it came out anyway. The mere thought of Zuko being bossed around by a babysitter brought him to tears. But then he remembered how Katara always took care of everyone and he sobered up. "We have to find her soon, guys."

"I saw an island a little while ago that had a bunch of stuff piled up on the beach," Ty Lee told him. "Maybe they stopped there."

Aang looked off into the distance. "Maybe…"

Sokka, however, appeared completely enthusiastic. "Let's go!"

"Wait a minute," Toph said. She was leaning up against a tree, keeping a "watch," so to speak, on the area. "Isn't this where you get all suspicious and go crazy?"

"What do you mean?" he asked. "I am perfectly capable of being a rational human being."

The earthbender gave a cough that sounded suspiciously like "Yeah right."

"I do!"

"Let's just go," Aang said, heading back to Appa. "We can't give Zuko time to change his mind again."

* * *

**Another short one, I know, but I've been sick…and swamped with homework. But, hopefully, the next couple of chapters will prove to be really exciting. We'll see definite Zutara here, with a little bit of Taang and _maybe_ some Tykka.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello, readers! Thanks to those who reviewed…I dedicate this chapter to you! I hope you like it because this is where the sweet moments just kick off. Love is in the air, apparently, and we have a familiar character to thank for that…So, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

Zuko raised his head as he heard Katara's breath hitch. He glanced over at her and his own breathing stopped. Katara was laying on her side, facing him, a contented look on her sleepy face. Her hair fell in soft waves around her and Zuko had the sudden need to kiss her.

Night had already fallen and the moon was rising. Pushing his warring thoughts to the side for once, Zuko moved closer and bent his head towards hers. Their lips met for the barest of moments, a contact sweeter than wine. He pulled back and smiled.

"Hello."

She answered his smile and sat up, pushing the fall of her hair away from her face. "Hello." Despite the cool night air coming into the cave, Katara felt warm. And all because his golden eyes were looking at her.

"_Kiss him,"_ a voice whispered in her head. It sounded like Yue's voice. Everything felt like a dream but something told Katara this was real.

"_Wait."_

Katara cupped Zuko's face in her hands. _"I don't want to."_

Zuko's eyes searched hers. "Katara?"

A soft smile crossed her face. "Yes?" she whispered, drawing closer.

"What are you doing?"

She was so very close now. "Returning your kiss."

Zuko's mind went blank as he saw the emotion shimmering in Katara's blue eyes. "That's nice."

Katara laughed. "Isn't it?" And then she kissed him.

The kiss was slow, deeper than the other. They melted into each other and closed their eyes. Zuko's arm snaked around Katara's waist and her hands went from his face to loop behind his neck. They should be enemies but, surprisingly, they trusted each other.

After a little while, Zuko pulled away and sighed, his golden eyes sliding away from hers. "Katara, I have to tell you…"

"Yes?"

"We're trapped here."

She laughed again and shook her head. "I know."

His eyes snapped back to hers and he stood. "No. I mean we're trapped here. The creek we crossed overflowed and is too deep now to cross. We're on a separate island, Katara. We can't get back to Uncle."

Katara's eyes went wide. "T-trapped?"

Zuko nodded. He watched her for a moment as she turned her head, silent.

"_What is she thinking?"_

"_What is _she_ thinking? What about you? Why did you kiss her? Twice?"_

Zuko blithely ignored the other voice. "Katara?"

She looked back at him and smiled brilliantly. "It's all right. We'll just have to wait for the water to go down…or for Aang to find us."

The prince was shocked. And very, very afraid. He didn't know if he liked the way she was smiling. And he eyes looked suspiciously bright. As if she was about to have a lot of fun…at his expense.

Katara stood and walked towards Zuko. When he frowned and took a step back, she laughed softly. "Ever play tag, Prince Zuko?"

He stilled. Her voice was starting to scare him, too. "N-no…"

She sent him a wicked smile and started to pace around him. "It's quite simple, really," she said.

Zuko could hardly breathe he was so distracted. "Is it?" Oh, god. Had his voice squeaked?

Katara was in front of him again and she nodded. "Yes. You see, someone is 'it' and has to catch the other person. When you catch them, you say 'Tag, you're it,' and then run away so that _they_ catch you. Understand?"

He nodded.

She stepped closer and whispered into his ear. "Good." Katara tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Tag. You're it."

Before Zuko could react, Katara disappeared from the cave, her laughter trailing behind. He went after her. Luckily, the moon was full and bright, helping him to follow her movements through the forest. Zuko smiled and gave chase. All he had to do was catch her and he had a feeling it was going to be a very good chase. He didn't understand it, but somehow the full moon made him feel freer, somehow.

* * *

They had spent the rest of the day searching for Katara and everyone was tired. They had landed on the island without ever searching it. But no one wanted to sleep. The moon was too full and beautiful to ignore. Even Toph was feeling the effects. The earth beneath her feet felt strangely energized, making her feel calm.

She was sitting by the fire, listening to Sokka laugh at Ty Lee and her acrobatics. Aang had wandered off but Toph knew exactly where he was. Leaving Sokka and Ty Lee to their antics, she went off to follow the Airbender.

"Hey Twinkle Toes!"

Aang turned to see Toph following him. He stopped and waited for her. He had wanted a little time to himself, but he was strangely happy Toph had decided to come with him. When she caught up, he took hold of her hand and they fell into step.

They walked along the rocky shore of the island, not really talking. They didn't have to say anything. Somehow, being close was comfort enough. Suddenly, Aang pulled away.

"Let's practice some bending," he said. His voice was soft, but it still held the patented Aang-excitement.

"Okay." Toph was always ready for a good sparring match.

They got in their stances and began. It was a good match but no matter how unusual Aang's tricks were, Toph always anticipated them. Aang laughed and began to airbend, using it to hold his rocks in the air and confuse Toph.

Quite suddenly, though, she stopped bending and sat on the ground. Confused, Aang dropped the rock he had been holding up and walked over to her. "What is it?"

"What if you fly away Aang, and I can't ever find you?" she whispered softly.

Aang sat down next to her. "I wouldn't do that," he answered. "I wouldn't leave you behind."

"Really?"

Aang hugged her. "Really!"

"But what will happen after you defeat the Fire Lord? I'll have to go back home and I won't ever see you again."

Aang laughed. "That'll never happen. I'll come and visit you all the time; you're my earthbending teacher!"

Toph smiled at the sincerity in his voice. "Thanks, Twinkle Toes."

The Avatar jumped up and helped Toph to stand. "Don't mention it. Now, do you want to go explore the woods with me?"

She was silent a moment. "Yeah."

-------

Sokka laughed as Ty Lee's acrobatics turned into a fun-looking dance. She flipped and cartwheeled all over the campsite, moving as if she were dancing on a stage for hundreds of people.

"That looks like so much fun," he said.

Ty Lee stopped and then walked over to where he was sitting. "Then come on; I'll show you some moves."

Sokka stared at her hand a moment and then let her help him up. "Do you think you could teach me those cool jabs you do, too?" he asked as she began showing him how to do a proper cartwheel.

"Sure!" she answered, trying not to laugh. His cartwheels looked hilarious. He had his hands on the ground, and his butt was up in the air. And then he did this funny little jump and she couldn't stand it anymore. Ty Lee began laughing hysterically.

"What?" he asked grumpily.

"You…look…so…_funny_!"

Sokka growled and righted himself. "Well this is…" He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to think of something to say. "This isn't proper for a warrior," he finally finished.

Ty Lee sighed and shook her head. "Then let's start on my 'jabs.'" She gently touched a point on his arm. "Everyone has certain spots on their body through which their chi flows, and which you can disrupt. If you hit someone in a certain place, their chi is blocked and they can't bend…or fight. It's useful if you can't bend or use a sword, but you have to be quick." She demonstrated by jabbing at a point near his shoulder.

Sokka cried out as his whole arm went numb. "What was that for?"

Ty Lee giggled. "Just an example. It can be fixed easily." She jabbed his arm again and feeling rushed back in. "See? Now all you have to do is memorize the pressure points. If you hit someone in the wrong way, it could permanently damage them…or worse."

Sokka gulped. And listened as Ty Lee began listing all the pressure points. It was going to take a while before he would be able to actually use her technique. He looked down at her and smiled.

"You're great."

Ty Lee stopped and looked up at him, eyes wide. "What?"

Sokka gulped. He hadn't meant to say that. What was wrong with him?

"_Oh, Sokka. Open your mind a little."_

"_Yue?"_

"_Of course. Who else would it be? Now, why don't you make a move? You don't want to leave Ty Lee standing there, do you?"_

Sokka smiled. "I said, 'You're great.'" He moved closer. "Did I say the wrong thing?"

"No."

"Good." He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks. Now, should we get back to the jabs?"

Ty Lee nodded dimly, a strange smile on her face. "Yeah…"

* * *

Katara ran through the woods, unable to contain her laughter. She felt so _free_. For once, she wasn't confused. She liked Zuko and if that meant making him like _her_, well, then she could handle that.

She paused a moment to catch her breath, certain that Zuko was still far behind. She liked him! She didn't exactly know how or why it had happened, but it had. Zuko had taken care of her—that much was obvious—and she couldn't ignore that. She had woken up to find him nearby, with the moon shining into the cave behind him. It was in that moment that she stopped fighting. Why fight when you could enjoy?

A twig snapped behind her but before Katara could move, strong arms wrapped around her waist. "You're it," Zuko whispered softly into her ear.

"That's not entirely true," Katara said.

Zuko laughed. "How's that?"

She turned in his arms and slipped her arms behind his neck. She moved closer so that their lips were almost touching. "Because I've just caught you."

"Looks like we're both caught." He pulled her body closer. "What should we do?"

Katara never had time to answer. Zuko closed the last bit of distance between them and kissed her passionately. She sighed and melted into his arms, only to have her dream suddenly shatter.

"_Katara_?"

* * *

**Oooh! A cliffhanger, I know…normally, I don't like them because I feel horrible about it, but not this time! Mwahaha! Looks like Katara and Zuko aren't alone anymore. Their little vacation seems to have been cut short…But! Never fear! I have even more devious plans to get them alone…Please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, sorry for the delay, but I've been busy. Three large reports and another cold. And snow!!!!! It was so wonderful. As usual, we got out of school, but we had a lot of snow this time. Everything was all white and my dogs went crazy, rolling around in the snow and what not. Well, here's the chapter, finally. Hope you like it.**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

"Katara?"

The lip-locked benders hastily moved away from each other. Katara smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Aang. We were wondering when you were going to find us."

Toph, who knew the two had been rather close, laughed. "Ha. It looked as if you were thinking of someone else entirely, Sugar Queen."

Katara blushed and looked at Aang, as if to explain. And then she saw that Aang was holding Toph's hand. "Ha right back, Toph. Looks like you guys weren't really looking for us."

Aang grinned and turned to Zuko. "Are you going to let us have Katara?" he asked.

Zuko glanced at Katara, suddenly shy. "Well, I thought that my uncle and I could…well…" he trailed off and pleaded silently to Katara for help.

Thankfully, she took the hint. "Listen, Aang…Zuko and his uncle want to come with us…so that you can learn firebending."

"Katara, he…"

The waterbender moved closer and placed a hand on Aang's arm. "I know. But he really wants to help us, Aang. Everyone deserves a second chance."

"Yeah, but this wouldn't _be_ his second chance, would it?" Everyone turned to Toph. "From what I've heard, he's been given dozens of chances and he turned you down each time. What makes this any different?"

Katara really didn't have an answer for that. She shook her head and stepped back. "I don't know," she whispered.

"I've changed, for the better," Zuko said softly. "I know my father's never going to accept me, and I know that this war has to stop." He looked away. "I've seen how ruthless he can be, even with his own people. He needs to be stopped." Zuko looked up at Aang, fire blazing in his golden eyes. "Azula, too."

The Avatar was quiet a moment and then nodded. "Okay."

Zuko stepped back. "What?"

"I said okay. I need to learn firebending if I ever want to defeat the Fire Lord, and I have to learn before the end of the summer. This seems the best way to do it."

Katara smiled and hugged Aang, not noticing the dark look Zuko sent their way. "Thanks, Aang. Now all we have to do is go and get Uncle Iroh. I'm sure he's a bit anxious. And, now that you and Toph are here, I'm sure we can get back across the channel."

The three friends turned and began to leave. Katara glanced over her shoulder and gave Zuko a brilliant smile. "Come on. You're uncle must be worried."

Katara couldn't have been farther from the truth. In fact, Iroh was quite content to leave the two teens alone for a bit longer. Katara would be good for his nephew.

Iroh was sitting calmly in the cave, sipping a cup of ginseng tea and thinking about nothing in particular when he was interrupted. Zuko, Katara, Aang, and the Avatar stood at the entrance of the cave.

"Uncle?"

Iroh took another sip of tea. "Yes, Nephew?"

"What are you doing?"

Iroh smiled. "Drinking tea, of course." He motioned to the fire. "Come in and have some. The night is just a bit chilly, isn't it? Some tea will warm you up."

His uncle was crazy. Absolutely crazy. Here he and Katara had charged in with the Avatar and his Uncle acted as if it was nothing more than the wind.

"We would love some tea, sir," Aang said, stepping into the cave, "but we have to get back to the others. They'll be waiting."

Katara turned to Aang and frowned. "Others?" she echoed.

"Seems like our favorite acrobat has decided to join us, Sugar Queen," Toph said. "But don't worry; Sokka's got it covered."

Katara groaned. "Great. We'll come back and he'll be snoring and Ty Lee will be gone. Wonderful."

"Actually," Aang put in, "they seem to be getting along."

A small laugh came from Katara and Zuko unconsciously smiled. "That's new. I'm surprised he didn't drive her off."

As the three friends were talking amongst themselves, Iroh looked quizzically up at Zuko.

"They're going to let us travel with them, Uncle."

Iroh nodded and stood, putting out the fire. "This is good news, Nephew."

Suddenly, Katara stilled. "Oh no."

"What is it?" Zuko asked.

"Sokka. He's not going to accept you so easily. In fact, he'll probably attack you."

"That _is_ a problem, Katara," Aang said worriedly.

Toph, however, laughed. "Not if Ty Lee is still there."

Katara grinned. "Is it that bad, Toph?"

"They seemed pretty close before Aang and I left. They were laughing."

"Maybe he won't notice," Katara remarked, laughing.

Aang and Zuko exchanged confused looks. "Do you know what they're talking about?" the banished prince asked.

Aang shrugged. "No idea."

By that time, Iroh had finished his tea and was ready to go. "We must hurry if we want to get there before morning," he said. Though his words weren't loud, everyone stopped talking. "I, for one, am rather tired. Sleep would do us all good." He glanced towards Zuko. "It gives us the opportunity to listen to our deepest selves."

"Uncle…"

Katara took hold of Zuko's arm. "Come on," she said, pulling him out of the cave. "I'm tired and everyone else probably is, too."

That got his attention. He turned a concerned gaze to the cut on her forehead. "But you slept all day, Katara."

She smiled. "Yeah, but our game wore me out."

Zuko's heart began to beat faster and he turned away. "What about your brother?"

Katara laughed. "I'll deal with him. Sokka might seem like a dumb klutz, but he's smart." She headed off after the others. "He'll listen…after a while. He may not like it, but at least he won't try to murder you in your sleep."

Zuko followed her out of the cave. "That's comforting."

* * *

Sokka collapsed to the ground, exhausted from all the learning. "Can we stop now?" he asked, his voice squeaking.

Ty Lee giggled. "Sure. But we'll do this tomorrow, too, okay?"

Sokka waved a hand and closed his eyes. "Sure. Whatever you want."

The Fire Nation girl shook her head. "You want your sleeping bag or anything?" she asked.

"Na…" Sokka opened his eyes. "Where are Toph and Aang?"

Ty Lee shrugged. "I think they went off to practice, too."

Sokka closed his eyes again. "Oh. Okay." After a moment, he was asleep and snoring.

Ty Lee shook her head and put another log on the fire. Her hand went to a small pouch at her side and she glanced at Sokka's sleeping form. She really liked Sokka and his friends. But Azula was _her_ friend. She couldn't help but think she was doing something wrong. Her hand snaked into the pouch and she was just about to get some powder when she heard some rustling in the bushes. Quickly, Ty Lee closed the pouch and readied herself to defend Sokka.

Aang and the others appeared from the bushes and Ty Lee stood, frowning. Zuko and Iroh were walking peacefully with the Avatar. Suddenly, the Water Tribe girl laughed.

"I _knew_ he'd be asleep," she said, glancing towards Sokka. "And I bet there's nothing to eat, either."

At that moment, Sokka rolled over and muttered in his sleep, "girl work."

Katara screamed and, much to everyone's amazement, kicked her brother. "Girls' work?" she yelled as he began to wake up. "Girls' work? What do you mean? I have half a mind to make _you_ cook breakfast tomorrow!"

"But Katara," Aang said, "that's not fair! _We_ didn't do anything wrong."

Sokka sat up and rubbed his eyes. "Katara…" He trailed off as he spotted Zuko. He jumped up, reaching for his boomerang. "What is HE doing here!?"

Katara grabbed Sokka before he could lunge at Zuko. "He's here to help Aang, Sokka."

"Help Aang to walk right into a trap, you mean!"

"No, Sokka. He's changed."

"You thought that before and look what happened! Aang nearly _died_, Katara!"

She flinched and her arms dropped.

Noticing the action, Sokka looked down at his sister's hurt face. "I'm sorry Katara," he said softly, "but we can't trust him."

"You don't have to trust him, Sokka, but he _is_ coming with us."

Zuko, knowing not to interfere, turned and began helping his Uncle set up for the night.

"All right," Sokka agreed grudgingly. He glared at Zuko. "I'll be watching you. If you make one wrong move, I'll hurt you."

"Fair enough," Zuko said.

Katara turned and gave him an encouraging smile and then looked back at her brother. "Come on, we should get some sleep. If it makes you feel any better, you can stay up and keep watch."

As much as he wanted to bother Zuko, Sokka was really tired. But, as everyone got ready for bed, he made a big show of staying up. Only when everyone had dropped off to sleep did he let his guard down. He didn't trust Zuko and he would make sure that the firebender wouldn't have the opportunity to do anything.

* * *

**Another chapter done. My chapters will probably come slower, but hopefully you'll like them. Okay. You know the drill. Please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Unfortunately. **

**Thanks to all those who reviewed! And sorry it's so late. Writer's block is such a pain, don't you agree? Oh, and I must say that I am a complete and total ditz. I completely forgot about the earth king. I mean, I just forgot. Let's just say he's somewhere safe. The Gaang dropped him off somewhere he couldn't be found or hurt or whatever, kay? There. I feel a bit better now. **

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Zuko woke to the smell of delicious fish. He opened his eyes to find Katara kneeling beside a fire, singing softly to herself. Everyone else was gone. He sat up. "Where is everyone?"

Katara turned, smiling at the sound of Zuko's voice. "They went to find some more food." She laughed. "But Sokka's probably lurking around somewhere. If I hadn't threatened to freeze him to a tree, he would have stayed here to 'keep an eye on me.' I don't think he understands that I can handle you all by myself."

Zuko tried to suppress all of the outrageous thoughts that statement brought to mind. "Do you need any help?" he asked, standing up.

"I'm fine, Zuko." Katara looked at the uncertainty on his face and then shook her head. "But you can keep me company."

He gave her a small smile and sat beside her. His thoughts went back to the night before and he blushed faintly. "Ah, Katara?"

"Yes?" she asked absentmindedly, concentrating on her fish.

"Last night, before—"

"Look what we got, Katara!"

The two turned and Katara sent Aang a huge smile. Zuko looked away. "Wow, Aang! You really found a lot, didn't you?"

The airbender nodded, proudly displaying the armful of fruit he held. "They were pretty high up but Ty Lee and I managed to reach them." Aang piled the fruit on the ground and Ty Lee did the same. "Will it be enough?"

"Of course! Thanks, guys." She turned back to the fish but not before sending Zuko a reassuring smile. He smiled back just as Sokka burst into the clearing. The peasant looked angry.

"What's wrong, Sokka?" Katara called. "Did you get beaten by a caterpillar?"

Sokka sent his sister a dark look. "We have too many people."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Appa can't carry this many people," Aang said softly. It was true. There were seven of them now. The most Appa could possibly hold was six. That meant that someone couldn't come with them.

Ty Lee glanced regretfully towards Sokka and then looked at Aang. "I can stay behind. I mean, I can always signal Azula to come and get me."

Sokka frowned at her. "Wait. You can signal Azula?" She nodded. "Then how do we know you haven't already done it?" he asked, waving his arms around.

Ty Lee shook her head. "You don't. But Azula isn't here, is she?"

"No," Sokka admitted.

"Wait." Zuko moved towards Ty Lee. "My sister is looking for the Avatar, too?"

Ty Lee looked suddenly nervous. "Yeah…she doesn't…She was going to capture you and your Uncle again," she said, her shoulders falling.

Zuko turned away, his fists erupting into flames. "I _knew_ she couldn't be trusted!"

"Well duh," Katara suddenly said. "We all want the people we care about to change, Zuko. Sometimes they do, but your sister…it doesn't seem as if she'll _ever_ change." She hugged him and then turned back to the fish and began cutting it up for everyone. Sokka sent a dark look towards the banished prince.

Zuko stood there, staring at Katara. What was it that made her so beautiful to him? Why was it that, whenever he saw emotion glittering in her eyes, his heart began to beat faster? Why did she affect him so much? He thought back to their time together in the catacombs beneath Ba Sing Se.

She had been so close then, and she had touched his scar, without flinching. Since then, she had done so many times. And each time she did, it sent shivers down his spine. But he had betrayed her, even after she had offered to heal his scar. He still felt ashamed over that. And Zuko didn't understand how Katara could even look at him. But that was Katara. She had given him so many chances, even when he didn't deserve them.

But that was all in the past now. Wasn't it?

"Here, Zuko."

He looked up and smiled faintly as Katara handed him a plate of food.

"We have to fill up now if we want to get anywhere today."

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, digging into his meal. He hadn't eaten for a while and he was _starving_.

Katara shook her head as she watched Zuko scarf down his food. There were just some things _all_ boys had in common. "Well…"

"Katara!"

She turned to find Sokka glaring in their direction. Planting her hands on her hips, Katara turned and scowled. "What is it now, Sokka?"

"You shouldn't tell him what we're doing! He's still fire nation! And if you forgot, he betrayed you! More than once, I might add. We can't trust him."

"No," Katara said in a soft, yet strong voice. "_You_ can't trust him. I, on the other hand, _do_."

"How can you even _say_ that, Katara?" Sokka raged. "You're entirely too trusting! The same thing happened with Jet, but at least you don't give him as many chances as _him_, and Jet hasn't been chasing us around everywhere!"

Katara reacted as if Sokka had slapped her. She stepped back with an angry gasp, tears gathering in her blue eyes. Behind her, Zuko frowned. _Jet?_ He had met someone named Jet before and, if Sokka was talking about the same person, it was no wonder he was getting to angry.

Suddenly, an angry thought rose in his head. _"Did Katara like Jet?"_

"How dare you!" Katara stepped forward, eyes blazing with fury. The nearby ocean began to rise with her anger, coming closer and closer. The young waterbender fairly trembled with her intense emotions. "How _dare_ you! Do you think I'm just some stupid little girl who doesn't know anything?" The water began crashing heavily down on the shore, sending droplets raining down on the camp. "I can take care of myself, Sokka. But it's not like you'd ever notice. You're too busy playing warrior to see!"

The look of horror on Sokka's face would have been comical if Katara's power wasn't getting so out of control. Seeing his uncle nod, Zuko stood and placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. "Take a deep breath, Katara. Look at what you're doing."

Katara stilled and after a moment, turned her head to find that everyone was standing in water. "What…?" She shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Katara sent a stricken look towards her scared brother and then she ran off to disappear into the woods.

Both Zuko and Aang started to go after her, but Iroh stopped the young firebender. "Let the Avatar take care of this, Nephew. She needs a friend right now."

"But, Uncle…"

"You know how difficult it can be to go against family, Prince Zuko. Right now she needs to talk to someone without confusion."

Zuko sighed. "Yes, Uncle."

-------

It seemed forever before Katara and Aang came back, but in reality it had only been fifteen minutes. Katara seemed calmer now, though her eyes still held a bit of confusion. But, as she passed Zuko, she smiled. He gave a sigh of relief. Everything was going to be okay.

Katara crossed the clearing to stand in front of her brother. "I'm sorry Sokka," she whispered, "but I really just want everyone to get along. Even if you can't trust Zuko, we can at least trust Uncle Iroh. He'll teach Aang, if that makes you comfortable, but I _am_ going to tell Zuko where we're going. He has a right to know."

Before Sokka could protest, Katara turned around and crossed over to where Zuko and Iroh stood. She smiled grimly. "We're going to the Fire Nation, and we have to get there before the end of the summer."

"Why before the end of the summer?" Zuko asked, hardly daring to believe what they were going to do.

It was Sokka who answered, his own blue eyes filled with a fierce triumph. "We have to be there for the darkest day in Fire Nation history."

"The solar eclipse," Katara supplied.

"Very ingenious, Miss Katara," Iroh praised, "but how did you find out?"

Toph stepped forward. "Let's just say a little birdie wouldn't tell us so we checked out some books."

Katara nodded her agreement and then tossed an apologetic smile at her brother. "Sokka came up with it. He's the one who thought to look for the eclipse in the first place." She shrugged. "He does have his uses, sometimes."

"My uses!" Sokka sputtered. He moved forward, intent on saying more, when Momo jumped on his head. "Ahhh! Momo! Get off, get off, get off!" The teen began an odd, hopping dance, trying to reach the lemur.

Katara simply sighed and shook her head. "Aang, you'd better get Momo. We have to get going."

Aang called for Momo and the lemur jumped off of Sokka's head, looking oddly pleased with himself and chattering away. Sokka, however, looked comical. His hair was messed up and the look on his face was priceless.

Ty Lee giggled and walked over to him. "Cute," she said. And then she kissed his cheek. "I'd better get my signal ready." Sighing, she stepped away. "And think up what I'm going to say to Azula." She turned and ran off, leaving Sokka blushing madly.

Katara made a sound of complete disgust. "Hypocrite," she muttered, before climbing up on Appa. She glanced back down at Zuko. "Come on," she urged. Everyone else had already gotten on but Zuko was staring at the flying bison suspiciously.

"Is this even safe?"

Katara laughed. "You're not scared, are you?"

Zuko scrambled on and sat down, trying to act dignified. "Of course not. I was worried about my Uncle."

"Of course you were."

Up ahead, Aang urged Appa up. "Yip yip."

Zuko almost fell off. He recovered and glared at Katara with the most disgruntled look. She didn't stop laughing for ten minutes.

* * *

**Ah, yes, the usual Zuko-Sokka conflict. It'll come back every so often. Sokka won't give up his suspicious nature that easily. But let me tell you, Zuko won't be so complacent, either. He has a bit of a temper, too... Please review.**


	16. Chapter 16

**All right, here's the new chapter! Please read and review! **

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

"It took you long enough to signal, Ty Lee," Azula said a she approached the acrobat. "If I didn't know any better, I would say too long."

Ty Lee looked down at the ground. "They didn't really trust me, especially that one Water Tribe boy. He thought I was a spy and convinced the others that I was, too. They watched me all the time."

Mai frowned, a brow arched above her eye. "At least you can tell us which direction they went. That's good, at least." She sighed. "If only things were a bit more exciting."

Azula ignored her sardonic friend and moved closer to Ty Lee. "Did you see my brother or uncle?"

Ty Lee shook her head. "I thought I saw them, but I couldn't be too sure." Suddenly, she brightened. "But the Avatar said something about meeting up with the Water Tribe girl. And, seeing how Zuko had her, I'm pretty sure I _did_ see them."

The princess ignored the confusing words of her friend. "Which way did they go?"

Though she wanted to lead Azula away from the others, Ty Lee wasn't sure she could get away with it. She pointed west. "They went northwest," she said softly. "Straight to the Western Air Temple."

A slow, vicious smile crossed Azula's face and she turned back to her fast lizard mount. "I believe it's time to teach ZuZu a lesson." She looked back at Ty Lee. "Come on. We brought one for you, too."

Ty Lee hung back for a moment and then sighed. She hated this, really, but Azula was her friend. What could she do when her best friend could just as easily become her worst enemy? Some things were worth risking, but slowly. Acrobats took risks, but they always knew their limits. She couldn't push this too far.

* * *

"Why's this temple so important?"

Katara looked over at Zuko, drying her hands on her skirt. "It's a safe place we can stay while Aang trains. It's too dangerous traveling all the time. And we all need a bit of rest."

Zuko watched as Katara rose and moved away. He and his uncle had been traveling with the Avatar for three days now, and there hadn't been any incidences. But Zuko was edgy. He wanted to talk to Katara alone but her brother hardly let her out of his sight.

He sighed and stood up, heating his hands so that the water evaporated off of them. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he couldn't stop thinking about Katara. His mind kept going back to the kiss they shared before the Avatar and the blind earthbender interrupted them.

"Nephew?"

Zuko swore silently and turned from the sight of Katara to face his uncle.

"Yes, Uncle?"

Iroh hid his smile at the irritated note in Zuko's voice. He knew exactly what was bothering his nephew, and it made Iroh very happy…and smug. "Rocks might dam the river, but the water always finds a way."

"What nonsense are you spouting now, Uncle?" Zuko asked wearily, confused and irritated.

"That, Prince Zuko, is something you must work out on your own." This time, Iroh did smile. "Think on it, Nephew. You'll find the answer soon enough."

Zuko shook his head as his Uncle walked off, humming some odd little song.

"Come on! It's time to go!"

Zuko frowned and walked towards the Avatar's flying bison. He hated this thing. It was so disconcerting to fly through the air, knowing that the only thing that was holding you up was a fuzzy animal. He paused, not wanting to have to get back on the thing.

But Katara was there, laughing and looking down at him, her sapphire eyes glittering with amusement and some other emotion. "Zuko, come on!"

Behind his sister, Sokka growled. "Yeah, Zuko. Come on," he grumbled sarcastically. "Ouch!" He lifted a hand to where Katara snapped him with a water whip. He glared at her back.

"What's your deal?" he practically screamed.

Katara turned away from Zuko, hands on her hips. "What's _your_ deal? Stop with the attitude already, or you'll be cooking your own food."

Sokka's eyes grew wide at the threat and he shook his head in disbelief. "You wouldn't really do that, would you?"

"I will if you don't behave," Katara retorted.

"Aw, Katara…I didn't mean it."

"It sounded like you did."

"Shut up, Aang."

"Ah, the sky is beautiful today, don't you agree, Miss Katara?"

Katara looked at Iroh in surprise. "Huh? Oh, yes. It's very beautiful."

"The sun is just rising and the clouds are a lovely pink." Iroh sighed. "Almost as lovely as you and Miss Toph."

Both Katara and Toph blushed, surprising the others. It wasn't often that they got compliments; it was such a rare treat, even from Uncle Iroh.

"Thank you, Iroh," the two girls chorused together. Zuko and Sokka rolled their eyes, not even noticing that their expressions were almost exactly the same. Aang did, though, and began to laugh.

"What's with you?" Zuko practically growled.

Aang shook his head and turned back around. "Yip, yip."

* * *

"Look, Toph! There it is!"

"Oh, so wonderful, Aang. I love all the reds and how it looks exactly like a giant flame."

"Huh? What are you talking—Oh. Sorry."

Katara stifled a giggle at the exchange between Toph and Aang. When she was finally able to compose herself, she said, "It's wonderful Aang. I'm sure we'll be comfortable here."

Aang's face fell. "It's sad. This temple should be full of Airbenders, but it's empty. All because of me."

Zuko was shocked. The Avatar was blaming himself? There had been no Air nomads for a hundred years. How was it _his_ fault?

Katara placed a hand on Aang's shoulder as Toph moved closer. "It couldn't be helped, Aang. Even if you hadn't gotten lost in that storm, you wouldn't have been able to stop the Fire Nation all by yourself. It's not your fault."

Aang sighed sadly as he urged Appa down towards one of the large platforms. "I know, but I can't help how I feel."

"Cheer up, Twinkle Toes," Toph grumbled awkwardly. She really wasn't very good with helping people. But she had wanted to say something.

Aang smiled and took hold of her hand. "Thanks, Toph."

Appa landed and everyone gratefully got off. Aang patted his friend, saying, "You'll get some rest now, Appa. We don't have to go anywhere for a little while." Appa gave an affectionate growl and took off. "Thanks, Appa!"

Katara sighed as she caught a glimpse of Sokka watching Zuko's every move. Shaking her head, she turned to Iroh. "I think we should explore a little bit, Uncle Iroh," she said softly. "We can clear some rooms up and make it homier, even set up some defenses. Just in case."

"An excellent idea, Miss Katara! We shall get to it right away." Iroh called the others over to where they were. "Miss Katara has suggested we split up and explore the Temple." He smiled. "Aang, perhaps you and Miss Toph could clear out any debris. Sokka…I'm sure you would like to hunt something up for us."

Sokka puffed out his chest, proud to be chosen to do the hunting. Finally, something worthy.

Iroh was grinning by the time he turned to Zuko. "Nephew, you and Miss Katara can clean things up a bit."

Sokka's jaw dropped. "Wait, what? Katara's not going _anywhere_ with Zuko!"

Katara glared at her brother. "Sokka, we don't have time for you to get all moody."

"Moody! I'm not moody!"

She sighed. "Then prove it. Go on, we need some food."

Sokka waved his arms. "What about _him_?" he asked, motioning towards Iroh.

Katara smiled at the old man. "I'm sure he'll be happy to set up a fire and make some tea. After all, he's still recovering from what Azula did to him, if I'm not mistaken."

Immediately, Iroh made himself look as pathetic as possible, a hard feat for the Dragon of the West, but he managed.

Sokka reluctantly agreed. "Fine," he grumbled. After sending a warning glare towards Zuko, he stomped off.

After a moment, the others left to go explore and Zuko and Katara were left alone. Though she really wanted to go exploring, Katara's eyes were drawn to the sinking sun. Night was coming and the moon was already rising. She watched in wonder as the moon was lit by the fiery colors of the sun. A faint smile crossed her face and as the sun disappeared, she lifted her arms up towards the moon.

Zuko watched Katara. She was so beautiful. Moonlight washed the dying colors of the sun from her body, bathing her in silvery light. Her body began to sway, as if to a melody only she could hear. Strangely, though, he could hear it as well. He moved closer.

"Katara…"

* * *

"You shouldn't be up."

The young man pushed his companion away and moved towards the door. "I have to go. I have to find her."

"Find who?"

"Katara."

The young tomboy moved to stand before her friend. "No! You're still injured. You're still in pain."

"I have to. You don't understand. She's…" The young man leaned against the doorframe and looked up at the moon. "Her eyes…" He shook his head. "I don't want anything to happen to her."

And with those last words, he disappeared into the night.

Smellerbee swore and moved forward. "Jet!"

* * *

**Mwahaha! Isn't it wonderful? Jet is so cool, I just had to put him in there…oh, did you see the Avatar short on it was so cute…well, you know the routine, by now…review, please. sniff there haven't been many reviews, but I profusely thank all those who _did_ review. Well, until next time…**


	17. Chapter 17

**Aww, did I leave you people at a semi-cliff? I couldn't help but put Jet in. He's so cool. Anywho, be prepared for more Zutaraness this chapter…and we get to hear more about the two ancient lovers! So, enjoy! And review, please!**

**I still don't own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. It's getting to be a real failing in my life…**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

_Zuko watched Katara. She was so beautiful. Moonlight washed the dying colors of the sun from her body, bathing her in silvery light. Her body began to sway, as if to a melody only she could hear. Strangely, though, he could hear it as well. He moved closer._

"_Katara…"_

-------

She glanced back at him, the moon in her sapphire eyes. "What is it?"

Zuko moved hesitantly forward. And then his courage failed him. He stopped and looked away. Katara smiled softly and moved closer.

"Zuko…this isn't like you. Come on. We've been around each other for nearly two weeks now. I had hoped we…" Her eyes moved from his face and fixed on the ground. "I had hoped that we could talk without feeling embarrassed or angry," she finished in a whisper.

Startled, Zuko looked up, his golden eyes wide. "We can. It's just that…I…" Suddenly, he took hold of her arms and brought her close. Without another word, he kissed her, wrapping his arms around her and bringing her against him.

Katara was taken back at first but, when Zuko didn't draw back, Katara threw herself into the kiss. All of her pent up emotions went into it and she moved closer, bringing her arms around him so that she could hold him close.

After a long moment, they broke apart and Zuko rested his forehead against her, a smile playing about his lips. Katara laughed softly. "Well, that was certainly articulate," she joked.

Zuko laughed, happy and content, as he hadn't been in a long while. After a moment, he drew back. "I'm sorry for being so…"

Another smile appeared on Katara's face and she shook her head. "It's perfectly all right. Now…I believe it's time for some more fun."

The young prince stepped back at the mischievous glimmer in her blue eyes, suddenly suspicious. The last time she had looked at him like that, he had ended up in a game of chase. Abruptly, he smiled. But he wasn't going to complain about how it ended.

Katara sucked in a breath at the laughter and warmth smoldering in Zuko's eyes and then turned away. "It's time to start exploring."

Zuko's heart flipped as Katara turned away from him. From what, though? Excitement? Happiness? He wasn't sure. "How is exploring fun?" he managed to get out, following her.

The girl cast a look over her shoulder and Zuko nearly died of a heart attack. She looked so beautiful. She smiled and turned back around. "Trust me."

Suddenly, Zuko stopped. _How had this happened?_ They had been at each other's throats not so long ago and now…He sighed. Now he couldn't help but find her unbearably lovely. She was walking ahead of him, her hips swaying gently. The wind played with her hair, down since he had commented the day before at its beauty. And the moonlight shone down on her, casting her in a silvery glow. Silver and sapphires. Another sigh escaped him. When this war was over, if he ever saw her again, he would give her a silver necklace with a teardrop sapphire. It would be delicate and pretty, but pale when compared to her.

He shook his head. _"What am I thinking?"_ he asked himself.

"_You're thinking that you like her."_

"_I…"_ Zuko subsided. He couldn't help but agree.

-------

Katara felt Zuko behind her. And how could she not? She was always aware of him. He was always so warm. With a sigh, she glanced up at the moon, now silver and glowing in the sky. Her feelings about Zuko were becoming clearer with each day, but how could she express them? She and Zuko had been enemies not too long before.

"_Oh, Yue. What should I do? I like him so much. I never thought I could trust him again, but now…Now I feel as if I could trust him with my life. Does he feel the same about me? How can I even begin to speak to him about how I feel?"_

The moon was silent, but a soft breeze whispered around her and Katara smiled. She would be silent for now. She would see whether Zuko felt the same or if this was just a passing fancy for him.

Quite suddenly, she felt Zuko's warm hand slip into her cool one and he moved to walk beside her. He said nothing and neither did she, but they walked hand in hand through the darkening temple, perfectly at ease. Katara took pleasure in the moment, knowing that they could be erupted at any second. Her heart began to beat faster, but the sensation wasn't unpleasant. Besides, she had Zuko to calm her.

As they came into a dark courtyard, a flame appeared in Zuko's hand, reflecting off of the pond. The dancing light reminded Katara of a story her mother had once told her.

"_Their names were Savitri and Nilam, lovers separated by a vast ocean and the hatred of between their families. It is said, Katara, that when their families forbid them from even seeing one another, they ran away to the spirit world, declaring that they would not return until they could see each other once more. The spirits of the moon and sun took pity on the two lovers, knowing how painful it is to be separated."_

"_Wait, mama. Does that mean that the sun and moon loved each other, too?"_

_The woman smiled. "Yes. Long ago, they had been separated, too. Now, when the spirits saw Savitri and Nilam, they took pity on the two lovers and promised they would be together forever. And that day, as the sun set and the moon rose, the ocean was set ablaze, allowing the lovers to become one. And they were never parted after."_

"_How sweet."_

"_It is sweet, Katara."_

_The little girl sighed and looked out over the frozen landscape. "Does such love exist?" she asked, sounding suddenly so much older. _

"_Of course, my dear."_

"_But it seems like only a dream, mama."_

_Her mother laughed softly. "Never a dream, Katara."_

-------

Zuko led Katara to the edge of the pond and sat down. He glanced at her. She looked so far away. He wondered briefly where she had gone to when she turned and gave him a brilliant smile. The world seemed to take on an ethereal quality, and time slowed. His heart flipped again and he wondered if he should tell her how he felt.

"_What can you lose?"_ the voice in his head urged.

"_Everything."_

Still, it was now or never. "Katara, I…"

Katara looked at him and fell into his golden eyes. She reached up to place a hand on his cheek, her fingertips just brushing his scar. He might not think so, but he was every inch the prince.

"Yes, Zuko?"

Zuko took a deep breath and then spilled his heart. "I like you Katara, more than I can say."

Her heart melted.

When a tear slipped down her dark cheek, Zuko's heart lurched. He reached out, touching her smooth cheek. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

Katara placed a finger on his lips. "Shhh." She smiled gently. "I feel the same, Zuko." And with that, she pressed her lips to his, kissing him more passionately than she ever had. And though their kiss was passionate, a sweet note filled the air and surrounded them. The trees in the courtyard began to dance, whispering amongst themselves at the sight. Unbeknownst to the two, the pond beside them lit briefly, lighting with silver and gold. It shone brightly in the dark, but they didn't notice.

Finally, just as the pond returned to its shadowy self, the teens pulled apart, eyes locked. Katara sighed and leaned into Zuko. "I hope this isn't just a dream."

Zuko smiled at the longing in her voice, knowing that she felt the same as he did. He felt warm and happy. He tipped her chin up and placed a chaste kiss on her swollen lips. "Never a dream, Katara," he whispered.

Katara smiled in happiness, in confusion as his words struck a chord deep within her. But she was tired and Zuko was so warm. Her lids grew heavy and soon she fell asleep.

Zuko laid her down and curled up beside her, watching her as she slept. _"She's so beautiful."_ He looked up at the starlit sky.

"_What is this?"_ he asked the stars silently. _"What is this thing that I feel when Katara's near?"_

But the stars didn't answer. And he hadn't expected them to. Beside him, Katara moaned softly in her sleep and shifted a bit. A smile crept over Zuko's face and he lay down beside her, wrapping her in his arms. She was sure to get cold in the night and, while he should probably bring her back to the camp, he didn't want to disturb her. And he certainly couldn't leave her alone.

* * *

**Awww! Wasn't it cute? And we learned more about the ancient lovers I hinted about earlier, huh? Nothing really happened, I know, but there was a real big realization. Now the fun begins. And is anyone interested in how the morning's going to play out? Especially when both Katara and Zuko were missing for the _entire_ night…interested? Then review!**


	18. Chapter 18

**I have a new chappie for you people. Isn't it wonderful? I've been getting them out quicker lately, haven't I? Well, onto the story. I know some people have been waiting for more angst, and there will be a bit more…just be patient. Okay, here goes!**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

Katara woke up in Zuko's arms. Again. Had everything that happened the night before really happen? Or was she simply trying to fill the gaps? Suddenly, a noise brought her mind to focus and she jumped up, recognizing her brother's angry voice.

With the toe of her boot, she gently prodded Zuko's shoulder. "Wake up," she hissed.

Zuko groaned and opened his eyes in time to see Katara dashing from the courtyard. Confused, he opened his mouth to call her back but then he, too, heard the voices coming closer to their retreat.

"…my sister, I'll kill him!"

"Miss Katara likely was sidetracked by the sad beauty of the temple and fell asleep."

Zuko smiled as he scrambled up. That was his uncle, always throwing people off with what was the closest thing to the truth.

"Yeah, Sokka. Zuko probably got lost without Katara and decided to find someplace warm."

"If only…"

Without a second glance, Zuko ran from the courtyard, going in the opposite direction of Katara, not wanting her to have her brother yell at her. As he ran through the winding halls, Zuko thought of his own sibling, his own family. Azula, as always, never cared about him. She only wanted more power, to become the most powerful being in the world. It seemed she held the same madness in her that held his father.

He shook his head. But how could he go against his family? And that was what he was preparing to do.

"_Uncle is your only family now."_

"_But I can't ignore blood, can't ignore that they _are_ my family. I can't go against them, but I can't go against Uncle again."_

"_Then what can you do?"_

Zuko frowned. He didn't know. He loved his uncle, and he was beginning to care deeply for Katara, but…He couldn't do it. He couldn't betray his family, no matter that they had betrayed him.

And Katara…she treated him in a way that he didn't recognize. She surprised him with her kindness and her spirit. She didn't define him by his family or his scar. To her, she was another person, without a deformity of any kind. But that's not who he was. People were defined by their blood; that was what the Fire Nation had always believed. Once, Ozai had accused Zuko of being as weak as his mother. He had been angry then, angry that his father had called him weak, angry that his father had called his mother weak.

He stopped for a moment and rested against a wall. He was deep in the temple, but he didn't notice the dark. He sighed. Since his mother died, since he had received his scar, his world had been falling apart. Now that there was a chance for him to start life anew, he was afraid. He was afraid that he could not be the person everyone thought he could be.

"I don't know what to do," he whispered.

"Don't worry, young one," said a soft voice beside him. Zuko jumped and instantly dropped into a fighting stance. The woman smiled at him, a bit of laughter in her golden eyes. "Forgive me, my dear, for startling you. I am afraid that I am not so very used to people. Please, relax. I am not an enemy."

Zuko straightened, staring at the beautiful young woman before him. She appeared no older than twenty and, though she appeared kind enough, Zuko knew instinctively that she was a firebender.

"Who are you?"

The woman sighed and began to move deeper into the temple. Zuko followed. "My name is not important, young one. I have come because you need guidance."

"What do you mean?" he asked angrily. "Shouldn't you be helping the Avatar?"

She laughed and glanced over her shoulder. "The Avatar has others to help him." She turned. "Besides, he is not as conflicted as you seem to be, young one."

"Why are you calling me 'young one'?"

Another laugh. "Because, to me, you are very, very young," she replied. "Now hurry along."

Zuko fell into silence, confused by her words, but as she led him deeper and deeper into the temple, he asked, "Where are you taking me?"

"To where we can speak."

"I have to get back to the others…"

"You will return in good time. They will know nothing is wrong."

"But my Uncle…"

"He knows," the woman stated simply.

They continued in silence for a good while and then the woman stopped suddenly before a large door. There seemed to be an odd lock on the thing but the door opened before Zuko had a chance to really examine it.

Zuko followed her into the dark chamber, confusion running through his mind. "What is this place?" he asked, calling a flame to his hand. He quickly found a few torches along the wall and lit them, letting the flame go.

"An ancient place," came her reply.

"It doesn't look too old." And it didn't. The room looked as if it had been well kept, as if someone were living there. But that was impossible…wasn't it?

"This place is kept…ready for those who wish to use it."

"But what _is_ it?"

Another laugh sounded and Zuko turned quickly. The woman was standing behind him, her golden eyes shining. "It is a haven for those who have lost themselves." She turned away from him and began to walk around the chamber. "No one is here at the moment."

Zuko shook his head and began to back out of the room. "Why did you bring me here?"

"So that you could remember. For when your heart becomes lost."

"What?" Zuko asked faintly. The world was becoming black. He felt dizzy and…faint.

The woman looked back at him and smiled once more. "This is a secret place, Prince Zuko, one which you will find quite useful very soon. But for now, you will forget. Forgive me."

Abruptly, Zuko found himself back in the courtyard, as if he had never moved. But now, his Uncle was sitting beside the pond, sipping a cup of tea.

"It is good that you are awake, Nephew," the old general said softly.

Zuko sat up, holding his still spinning head. "Wha…?"

Iroh chuckled. "Young Sokka stormed past this courtyard in his search for his sister, but I managed to spot you. I called to you several times, Prince Zuko, but when you did not wake, I decided to stay and watch over you."

Zuko frowned. "Why did you stay, Uncle? If I didn't wake, why didn't you find Katara?"

Iroh took another sip of his tea and then his gaze found Zuko's. "Because I recognize when someone has entered the Spirit World, Nephew, and I couldn't simply leave you to wake confused and all alone."

The young man blinked. "T-thank you, Uncle."

Iroh said nothing, merely began humming a jovial tune beneath his breath.

"W—what about Katara?"

"Miss Katara, I believe, is still hiding from her brother; you weren't gone too long."

"Oh." Zuko looked down at the grass, plucking at the green blades. "Uncle?"

"Yes, Nephew?"

Zuko sighed as his courage failed him. "Do you have any more tea?"

Iroh paused to stare at his nephew and then a sly grin stole over his face. With a flourish, he produced several packs of tea from his sleeves, along with a small teakettle and a cup. "Always."

* * *

Katara laughed as she heard the muttered curses of her brother. But he was closing in. Spotting a partly hidden alcove, Katara ducked into it, hoping it would lead somewhere. Unfortunately, it didn't. Sokka found her a moment later, his face red with rage. 

"Katara!" he yelled, coming closer. "There you are! Where were you! If Zuko…"

Katara quickly composed herself and gave her brother a smile. "Stop with the Zuko thing, Sokka. As to where I was, I got separated from Zuko and found a really pretty little room. I was tired so I decided to rest for a bit." She gave him a sheepish look. "I guess I slept a bit too long."

Sokka began to wave his arms about, but he looked a bit less enraged. "Why didn't you come back to the meeting place when you woke up?" he asked.

Katara shrugged. "I got lost. Now, come on. I want to see how Aang's lessons are going."

Knowing that his sister wouldn't say anything else, Sokka's shoulders fell. "Okay. You can make breakfast, too."

Katara hit him on the back of his head. "Pig," she spat, marching off.

"Wait, Katara! You'll get lost again!"

* * *

Jet smiled as he left the small Earth Kingdom village. Apparently, the Avatar disappeared for a little while, but his flying bison had been spotted quite recently, flying west. But that wasn't all. Princess Azula and her gang had been spotted following only a day or two behind. While it might be difficult to track the flying bison later on, tracking the Fire Nation Princess wouldn't be too hard. 

"I'm coming to help, Katara," he whispered to the wind. "I won't let the Fire Nation get you."

* * *

**A bit confused? Me too, but it's okay. Jet's getting closer! But so is Azula... Oh, I made a little change to my last chapter. I just changed the name of the ancient lovers. I changed the names to properly represent who they are. The girl's name is now Savitri (Indian name meaning, "relating to the sun") and the guy's is Nilam (Indian meaning "sapphire"). Oh, and you can expect to see them more often in the story from now on. Well, did you like this chapter? Please review, even if it's criticism. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Another new chapter! yay for me! well, enjoy. And thank you to all those who reviewed! **

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen**

"Am I to understand that you already know the basics?" Iroh asked that evening.

Aang gave a small nod and then continued with his meditation.

"Good. Then we may begin."

The Avatar's eyes snapped open. His gray eyes were full of surprise. "What? I'm not ready!" He cast his gaze downward. "I don't want to be ready."

Katara, watching the lesson, sent Aang a small, supportive smile. "It's all right, Aang," she encouraged. "You'll do fine."

"Yeah, Aang. You're the Avatar. You can do anything."

Toph sent a small ripple towards Sokka. "Shut up, Snoozles."

Iroh chuckled at the byplay between the friends. It was comforting to be surrounded by so many young people, especially when it came to Zuko. His nephew was acting so much better now that he had joined the Avatar. A frown crossed his face for a moment. But there was that episode earlier…Iroh didn't completely know what to make of his nephew's visit to the Spirit World, but he knew that Zuko was changing again. Though he seemed to be doing better, the young prince could never really shake loose of the shackles his father had placed on him.

"Umm…shall we get on with the lesson?"

Iroh snapped back to attention and nodded. "We will begin."

As Iroh put Aang through his firebending paces, the others began to wander off again. Katara wanted to find where Zuko had run off to, but he had said he was meditating, so she didn't think it would be such a good idea. Still…now that they had time, she wanted to talk to him. She frowned. It seemed almost as if he had been avoiding her all day.

She sighed and wandered through the temple, her thoughts distant. She didn't want Zuko to pull away from her; he had just begun to open up. And he really needed to open up. He couldn't keep everything bottled up all the time; it was unhealthy.

"What can I do?" she whispered to the halls. "How can I make him see who he really is?" Another sigh escaped her as she opened a small, unobtrusive door. She almost would have missed it, but she had heard the faint whisper of water beyond.

"Some practice will do me good."

Katara walked through the door and stopped in shock. It was a lovely water garden, filled with waterfalls and rippling pools. One even looked as if it were fed by a hot spring. Several willows were scattered throughout the garden and there were so many lilies and jasmine that Katara could hardly think. Several beautifully designed benches dotted the landscape.

She closed the door behind her just as the sun began to set. She smiled. This was her domain. Her head tilted upward. And the moon was out, a silver sliver in the sky.

"It's beautiful," she said in awe, moving towards the clearest pool. Water cascaded down from a small hole in the garden wall, ten feet above her head, causing ripples to glide gracefully across the surface of the pool.

"It is, isn't it?"

Katara whirled to find a young man sitting on a bench. He hadn't been there before, she was sure of it. _Where had he come from?_

"Who are you?" she asked.

The man smiled, his turquoise eyes friendly. "That is not important," he replied. "All that is needed to be known is that I am a friend. You will come to no harm by my hands." He patted the bench. "Come, sit and speak with me."

Katara cocked her head. He was quite handsome, with dark skin and startling aquamarine eyes. His black hair was left long, with a single silver bead resting against his cheekbone. Surprisingly, he was a waterbender.

"All right," Katara agreed. She sat beside him. "If you don't mind me asking…Where did you come from?"

He laughed. "I came from…far away. I am here to rest for a bit." He looked down at her. "And to help."

"Help?"

The man took hold of Katara's hands. "You feel a bit depressed, though you should be happy." When Katara still frowned in confusion, he sighed and stood. "Come. We will bend. It has been so long since I was able to practice my bending with another of the same ilk."

Katara was delighted. She didn't know who this mysterious bender was, but she had her suspicions. Besides, it had been a long time since she had been able to waterbend with anyone other than Aang. Sometimes she really missed the North Pole.

She followed the man to one of the pools and waded in, taking her stance. As he began to bend, Katara found that he seemed to be quite the master. But, when one of her water whips struck him, she smiled. He may be a master, but he wasn't nearly fast enough.

The man smiled. "You're very fast," he told her. But just as he was saying the words, Katara found herself knocked off balance, treading water. "But let's see if you can be faster."

Katara laughed and used the water to lift herself back up. This was _fun_.

* * *

As Zuko walked into the large hall where everyone was gathered, Sokka nearly pounced, eyes filled with rage and concern.

"Where is my sister?" he practically screamed.

Zuko shrugged, though he felt a bit concerned. "I haven't seen her since yesterday," he answered in a bored tone. "Maybe she just went to get some privacy. I would, too, if I had someone following me around all the time."

Sokka growled. "What's that supposed to mean?" he screeched.

Suddenly, he was surrounded by an earthen cage. "Cool it, Snoozles," Toph said. "You're making me dizzy."

"Arrgh! Let me out!"

"Not until you play nice."

Iroh laughed. "She does have a point, young Sokka."

Sokka screamed again. "Toph, you are going to pay!"

"What are you going to do? Scream at me? Oooo…scary."

"Come on, Sokka," Aang said. "Zuko is probably right. You have been hovering over Katara ever since she came back. Maybe she just wants a little space."

Zuko rolled his eyes at the spectacle before him and said a quick goodnight to his Uncle before walking towards the room he had been given.

"Nephew."

The scarred prince paused but did not turn. "What is it, Uncle?"

Iroh stopped a few feet from his nephew. "How are you feeling, Prince Zuko?"

This time, the young man turned to face his only family. His golden eyes were dark. "I'll be fine, Uncle."

"That is not what I asked."

"No, but that's all I'm going to say." And with those words, Zuko disappeared into his room.

He sighed and sat down on the small cot. What happened? Who was that woman he met earlier, and why hadn't he moved an inch when he clearly remembered wandering through the temple?

"_And where has Katara gone?"_

Zuko shook his head. He couldn't think like that. He had to stop what was happening before something happened. Katara was a waterbender, his opposite. When this was all over, he would become Fire Lord and Katara would still be just a Water Tribe peasant.

"_Why am I doing this?"_ he asked himself suddenly. _"How can I go against my father in such a way? How can I help the Avatar defeat my own nation?"_

Another deep sigh escaped him and he lay down, closing his eyes. Sleep came quickly, thankfully, and Zuko slipped gratefully into dreams.

-------

"_Hello, Prince Zuko. It has been quite some time since we last spoke."_

_Zuko turned to find himself in the middle of the courtyard once more, facing the Princess of the Northern Water Tribe once more. "What…?"_

_Yue laughed. "I'm just here for a visit. I was told you are feeling a bit out of sorts." She cocked her head to the side. "Having doubts?"_

_The young prince nodded._

_Yue sighed. "That's understandable, Prince Zuko, but to live, really live, you must clear your mind. You cannot be so split. In the end, if you are not focused and whole, you will be destroyed."_

"_I know," Zuko whispered. "But it is so hard."_

_The Moon spirit nodded in sympathy. "It can be, yes, but as you know, life is hard. Do not back down out of fear or misgivings. This is the right path."_

_Though her words seemed wise, Zuko turned away. He was Fire Nation! How could he betray his own people?"_

_A sighed escaped Yue and she smiled sadly. "If you cannot listen to me, then another will guide you."_

"_What do you mean?" Zuko asked, turning. But Yue was gone. And he was left by himself. _

* * *

**did you like? and i have a new character, too...or is he? mwahaha...anywho! please review! tell me what you ppl. think!**


	20. Chapter 20

**disclaimer: I do _not_ own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. If I did, the Zutaraness would have already begun...**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty**

"There it is…the Western Air Temple."

"Uggh. Azula, why can't we ever go anywhere decent?"

Azula barely spared a glance for her friend. "Because our prey never seems to appreciate the greater things in life, Mai. After all, they are merely peasants."

"Not Zuko and your Uncle," Ty Lee said cheerily.

"They're banished. That makes them worse than peasants."

Ty Lee cocked her head to the side. "Why?"

"Because they were once Fire Nation and they failed. And now they're trying to throw it all away."

"But you they were never going to be accepted again, Princess Azula," Mai said. "So they're not really throwing it away."

Azula smirked. "But they don't know that. It just goes to show you that bad blood is _always_ weeded out."

"You must admit, though, that Zuko has been through a lot. He has a right to be…confused."

The Fire Princess looked sharply at Mai. "You don't still have feelings for him, do you, Mai?"

Knowing she had gotten herself into a bit of trouble, Mai frowned. "Of course not," she stated in a bored tone. Giving a weakness to Azula was close to putting a knife against your own throat. She would use it to her advantage every time.

Azula watched her for a moment before turning her gaze back onto the temple. "We will camp here for the night. Tomorrow we will attack." She turned to her friends. "You two will take care of the Avatar's little friends, but don't touch him. He's mine."

"What about Zuko and Iroh?" Ty Lee asked.

"My brother and Uncle are no longer of any importance. There's nothing they can do now. We have to be quick about it, too. I cannot leave the Dai Li by themselves for too long."

"Then why don't we finish this tonight?" Mai asked, checking her daggers.

"Though the moon isn't full, that Water Tribe _plebian_ seems to be quite adept at her backwater art. We don't want to come across more problems than necessary."

Ty Lee sighed. "I'll scout ahead for a little while and locate the possible entrances."

Azula nodded her assent and then settled down for the night. Though it was early morning, there were still a few more hours until dawn. A warrior knew how to utilize every possible advantage.

Ty Lee bounded off, hurrying over the rough terrain as fast as she could. She had to warn Sokka and the others; she couldn't just leave them open for attack. Though she had betrayed them, she cared for the Avatar and his group. Especially Sokka. She didn't want to see them hurt.

* * *

Katara returned the to the others in the early hours of the morning, feeling better than she had all that day. Her waterbending session had gone great, but…Suddenly, she frowned. A few moments before, she had found herself on one of the stone benches, the waterbender nowhere in sight. Still, it was best not to dwell on it. Everything was okay. Or, at least, it would be.

"Where were you?"

Katara turned to find her brother coming out of his room, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "I was just practicing my bending, Sokka." She smiled. "You should go back to sleep."

She began to go into her own room when his voice stopped her. "Katara?"

"Yeah, Sokka?"

"Sorry for being to…bossy. I'm just worried…"

"It's all right, Sokka. Come on, we all need some rest."

"Sokka?"

The two whipped around only to see Ty Lee appear from the shadows.

"Ty Lee? What are you doing here?" Sokka asked in confusion. And then it hit him. "If you're here, it means…"

The acrobat nodded sadly. "Azula's here, yes. But she's not going to attack until morning. You have to wake everyone up and tell them to move. Tonight. Azula won't wait long after the sun has risen."

Katara shared a horrified look with her brother and the two immediately sprang into action, never noticing that Ty Lee melted back into the shadows.

"Sokka, you wake Aang and the others; I'll go and get Toph and Appa. We have to go."

"Katara…" Sokka began to protest, but she was already gone. He sighed and opened the door to Aang's room. He really didn't want to wake the firebenders up, but he didn't see that he had a choice.

"Aang, come on. We have to go now."

"Huh?" Aang sat up in his cot, looking at Sokka with blurry eyes. "What?"

"Azula's on her way. We have to go."

Aang didn't need any further prompting. He jumped up and gathered his stuff up, not that there was too much. He followed Sokka out of the room.

"Aang, I have to get my stuff. Could you wake up the others?"

The airbender nodded. "Sure, Sokka." He dumped his stuff on the ground and opened Iroh's door just as Katara returned with Toph. Momo was trailing her.

"Katara, go wake Zuko!" He darted into Iroh's room and came out a moment later, dragging the poor ex-general behind him.

She nodded and ran to the firebender's room. As she opened the door and let the light Iroh conjured into the room, Katara couldn't help but stare. Zuko was lying on his cot, the covers thrown to the floor. He wore black bottoms but no shirt, showing his upper body. And he was _ripped_.

A noise from behind shook her out of her stupor and Katara hurried to his side. "Zuko," she whispered, shaking him. "We have to go."

-------

"_Zuko…"_

He woke up, a frown marring his face. "What is it?" he growled, moving to roll over.

"Azula's almost here. We have to get going."

That woke him up. A shot of fear ran through him and he leapt from the cot, nearly knocking Katara over. "What? We have to go!"

"I know," Katara said, before running from the room.

Zuko took up his sword and the small bag filled with his possessions. He was just walking out of his room when he stopped. Something flickered in the back of his mind. Suddenly, he ran over to the others.

"We're not leaving."

"What?" Sokka stepped forward. "Are you crazy? Azula and her minions are coming after us. And I don't know about you, but we can't take the chance of fighting them."

"Don't worry," Zuko said softly. "There's a room in the temple that she'll never be able to get into. And if we make it look as if we've left in a hurry, she won't search too long."

Aang, who knew the general layout of the temple, knew what Zuko was getting at. He turned to the others. "He's right, guys. I'll help you get into the chamber, but then I'll lead Azula away from here. Hopefully, I can double back."

"Aang, we can't let you do that," Katara said. "You could get caught."

Sokka, hearing what everyone was saying, began thinking furiously. There was only one choice, really. He was the only one in the group who couldn't bend, who couldn't be of any value to Azula. They couldn't afford to lose Aang, and Aang couldn't afford to lose his teachers. It was simple.

"I'll go."

Everyone abruptly fell silent. Katara shook her head. "Sokka, no."

"Think about it, Katara. It's the only way."

Katara looked in horror at Toph. "How can you even say that?" she cried.

Sokka looked at his sister. "I'm the only one who can't bend, Katara. It makes perfect sense. You know it does."

"But…"

"It is the best route, Miss Katara," Iroh put in softly.

"Aang?"

The Avatar shook his head sadly. "They're right, Katara."

Knowing she couldn't change their minds, Katara looked away, tears gathering in her eyes. "Fine," she whispered.

Zuko led them all to the chamber, still amazed that it was actually there. After they were all settled, Sokka readied to leave. He would be taking Appa, and it would be hard for him, but everyone was confident he could do it. Though he seemed to be a part of the group only for comic relief, he did often have brilliant plans.

Sokka sent Katara one last look. "I'll be back soon, Katara."

She raised her head and glared at him through her tears. "You better be, because when you get back, I'm going to _kill_ you for doing something so stupid."

He smiled and then left. He would lead Azula away from his friends. Even if he got caught trying. And if he _was_ caught, well…he could tell the pompous Fire Princess that Aang and the others were already off to the Fire Nation.

* * *

**Ahh, another chapter done. Kinda sad, and not much happened, but critical to the plot, I believe... Oooh…what will happen now? It's a mystery, even to me…Please review!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Yay! Chapter 21 is here! go me, go me, go me! well, enough about me...this is all about Zutara, isn't it? Well, read on, my friends...**

**disclaimer: I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Sadly.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-one**

Jet watched as Sokka took off with Appa. So that's how it was. He smirked as, a moment later, Princess Azula and her friends began to follow the obvious ruse. So Katara and the others were still inside the temple. At least she was safe.

He sighed as he entered the structure. His feelings about Katara were confused, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone. He had used her once, tried to use her feelings to his own ends. A smirk crossed his face. And then she had frozen him to a tree. He couldn't help but admire her for that. He couldn't help but fall in love with her as she walked away, furious.

"Where _are_ they?" he asked out loud, exasperated. "They can't just have disappeared."

But they could. It wouldn't be the first time Katara had slipped through his fingers. Jet shook his head. He had changed for her, had changed his whole world for this one girl, and yet he could never catch her. But this time…This time he wouldn't let her walk away.

* * *

Katara's face flashed in front of him. Her eyes were so beautiful, like water on a clear day. Sometimes they could be calm and kind, but when she was angry…the fury in her eyes was enough to make him want to kiss her.

Just as he was passing another door, he paused, hearing a noise. Jet pressed his ear to the wood and dared a whispered, "Katara?"

Katara was just drifting back to sleep—as far away from the shirtless Zuko as possible—when she thought she heard a noise from beyond the door beside her. After a quick glance around, she moved closer and pressed an ear against the wood.

And then she heard it. "Katara?"

Her heart sopped beating for a moment. She couldn't believe it, but it had to be true! "J-Jet?" she asked hesitantly, quietly.

"Katara!" came the whisper. "Katara, open the door."

Katara had to suppress a wild squeal of happiness. Jet was alive. And not only was he alive, but he was here! "Hold on a moment," she whispered back. And, without another thought, she opened the door, allowing the Freedom Fighter into the chamber.

------

As soon has he stepped through the door, Jet was nearly knocked back when Katara gave him an enthusiastic hug.

"Oh, Jet! I can't believe you're okay!" she exclaimed, no longer bothering to keep her voice down. She stepped away, her blue eyes filling with tears. "I thought you had…"

Jet sent her a smirk, though it was a little warmer than his usual expression. "I know. But I'm okay now. And when I heard what happened to you, I just had to come and see if you were all right."

Katara stared at him for a moment and then dragged him further into the chamber, shutting the door behind him. "I'm so glad you're okay," she told him, sitting down. "And now that Sokka…" she trailed off and looked away. "Well, he's on a big mission, getting to be the great hero he's always professed to be."

Jet laughed. "That's good. Now where are the others?"

She waved his question away and answered distractedly, "Oh, they're around here, sleeping." Her gaze suddenly grew troubled. "Jet…we're traveling with two firebenders now," she confessed.

Jet moved to stand, his hands already going to his swords, but Katara stopped him with a gentle motion. "But Jet, they're not bad people. They're not. They've offered to help us and they're good people. Really."

After a tense moment, Jet nodded. "All right, Katara. As long as Sokka let them into the group."

Katara laughed affectionately. "Well, there have been a few tense moments, but I think Sokka's pretty much over it by now." She looked away, tears welling up in her eyes once more. "I hope he's all right."

Jet leaned closer. "He'll be fine, Katara."

"I hope you're right."

-------

Zuko couldn't sleep. He stared up at the ceiling of the large chamber, listening as Katara moved restlessly in the dark. And then he heard a noise that definitely did not come from the chamber. He tensed, ready to jump up when a single word gave him pause.

"Katara?"

He heard Katara's soft intake of breath and knew that the voice was as familiar to her as it seemed to be to him. But where had he heard that voice before? Zuko stayed where he was, waiting to see how everything would play out.

"Jet?"

As soon as she said the name, Zuko felt as if he had been punched. _"How did Jet get here?"_

But, as Katara let the Freedom Fighter into the chamber and the two began to talk, it no longer mattered. Zuko squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to hear their laughter, trying not to hear the happiness in Katara's voice, or see the tears he knew would be in her sapphire eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Aang greeted Jet with enthusiasm and Toph with reserve. The meeting with Iroh and Zuko, however, did not go so well.

As soon as he spotted the two firebenders, Jet dropped into a fighting stance, his hooked swords out and ready. "You!" he snarled.

Katara cast a confused look towards Zuko, but he ignored her. Shaking her head, she placed a hand on Jet's arm. "What's wrong, Jet?" she asked softly.

"Them!" Jet replied angrily. "They're the reason the Dai Li took me to Lake Laogai!"

Katara was hardly able to hold him back. "What's this about?" she asked, her eyes boring into Zuko.

"We were on a refugee ship together. He accused Uncle and I of being firebenders. We couldn't get caught, so when Jet tried to expose us, I didn't firebend. The Dai Li took him away for attacking me," Zuko replied stiffly.

The waterbender sighed. "Jet, let it go. It's over and they're helping Aang now. We can't fight, especially not now."

Iroh stepped forwards to diffuse the situation. "I am sorry, young man, if your life was disrupted, but my Nephew and I are working for peace." He spread his arms out. "We can no longer stand the actions of our own nation."

Katara nudged Jet and he lowered his swords. "Fine." He glanced towards Aang. "Those Fire Nation girls followed Sokka and Appa; I don't think they'll be coming back for quite some time."

Aang bowed. "Thanks, Jet." He straightened and then turned to grin at Iroh. "Ready for my lessons?" he asked.

Toph frowned and took hold on the Avatar's shirt. "Oh no you don't, Twinkle Toes," she growled. "You still have to master earthbending, too."

Katara giggled as Toph dragged Aang out of the chamber. She knew the blind girl had been uncomfortable sleeping in the chamber—she preferred to sleep outside—and she needed to reconnect with the earth…and maybe spend a bit of time alone with Aang.

Both Jet and Zuko turned towards the sound of Katara's laughter, but the Freedom Fighter spoke first. "What's so funny?"

Katara didn't say anything, merely shook her head, eyes full of laughter. Zuko's heart constricted and he turned, storming deeper into the chamber. Iroh glanced over towards his Nephew and sighed, recognizing when the young prince wanted to be alone.

The old general put on a bright expression and winked at Katara. "I think I'll have some tea out in one of the courtyards," he told her. "It seems too good a day to be cooped up inside."

Katara nodded her agreement and then looked at Jet. "Come on," she said, grabbing hold of his hand. "I want to show you around the Temple."

As soon as he was alone, Zuko growled in anger and punched the air, sending a blast of fire crashing into the wall. "Aargh!"

* * *

Sokka and Appa raced across the sky. They weren't very far ahead of Azula and the others. They had to move fast if they wanted to keep from being caught. Sokka was so consumed with looking ahead that he never noticed as Azula took aim.

The lightning barely missed Appa, singeing his fur and bringing the smell of burnt hair to Sokka's nose. Not wanting to get Appa hurt, Sokka made the flying bison land. Getting off, he whispered to Appa, "Go hide and then get Aang."

Appa reluctantly obeyed, ambling through the forest as quickly as he could. Sokka gave a smirk and turned to face Azula. As the three Fire Nation girls came out from the forest, Sokka kept his face passive. He couldn't betray Ty Lee, not when she had risked warning them.

"What do we have here?" Azula taunted, moving closer to the defiant Sokka. "A Water Tribe peasant?" She smirked as anger flickered over Sokka's face. "Tell me where the Avatar is, peasant, and I might just let you live."

"Aang's already escaped," Sokka spat. "He and the others are far gone by now."

Azula's nostrils flared in anger but, other than that, it seemed as if she were calmer than ever. "We'll see about that."

Sokka laughed bravely. "What? The only reason you got Aang the last time was because you had an army at your back," he spat. "Face it, Princess, you're not nearly as strong as you think you are."

She stepped even closer, not seeing the look of abject horror on Ty Lee's face. "You'll regret those words, peasant."

Sokka barely managed to get out of the way as Azula shot a spear of lightning right towards his heart. He bit back a scream as it hit his shoulder. He went down with a cry and the Fire Nation princess advanced on him.

"Wait!"

Azula turned, her annoyance written on her face. "What is it, Ty Lee?" she demanded.

Ty Lee moved forward. "Think about it, Azula. If you kill one of the Avatar's friends, it'll only make him stronger. But if you leave his friend injured, it'll slow him down. The Avatar will have to wait until he's healed before they can move. You'll have him right where you want him."

Azula paused, considering the idea. And she smiled evilly. "You're right, Ty Lee," she said. "Fine. Stay with him and make sure the weakling doesn't die. I can't have my message messed up, can I?"

Ty Lee nodded, barely holding back her sigh of relief. "Whatever you say, Azula," she replied, trying to sound annoyed. As the Princess and Mai walked away, she grumbled, "I don't see why _I_ always get stuck by myself." She knelt beside Sokka, gently smoothing his brow. Tears ran down her face at the pain in his blue eyes.

"Just don't mess this up, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee sent a malevolent look towards Azula's retreating back. "I won't."

* * *

**Poor Sokka. I was going to get him captured, but this seems more dramatic. And, I know there seems to be a budding romance between Jet and Katara, but I've got it covered. After all, this is all about Zutara here, so it'll come back soon. There just has to be a couple of twists and turns. It can't all be so easy! Please review!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Another quickly-updated chapter! hopefully you ppl. will like this one better than the last one. I know Jet was a sore spot for some of you. Hopefully this chapter will make up for the last. **

**disclaimer: sadly, and must unfortunately, i do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. sniff**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-two**

Time passed slowly for Zuko as he sat in the chamber. His mind constantly shifted to Katara. He wondered what was happening. Where had she and Jet gone? The torches along the wall flickered, throwing deep shadows on the walls.

Was that how she saw him? Did Katara see him as only darkness and fire? Zuko sighed. It didn't matter now. Katara and Jet obviously had quite the past. And they were obviously rekindling that past.

Zuko stood and began to pace. He hadn't said anything. He had the opportunity and he didn't take it. Now Katara was drifting away, and he felt his own shadows more sharply than ever.

Suddenly, he punched the wall, small flames flickering around his fist. "_Why_?" he asked angrily.

"You are in much pain."

Zuko turned his head and saw the same mysterious woman as before. Her molten eyes looked at him, kindness swirling in their depths.

"Go away," he muttered. "I don't need your sympathy."

"Fair enough," the woman said. She walked away.

Zuko frowned and turned his back to the wall. "Where are you going?"

A small smile flickered on the woman's face as she settled herself on a low bench. "I'm giving you space. By all means, continue your ranting and raving. I don't mind."

Zuko stared at the woman in bewilderment but she blithely ignored him, intent on fixing the skirt of her garnet-red dress. After a moment, she began humming to herself, making little figures of fire in her hands.

The tune was haunting and familiar, one Zuko had often heard in his childhood. It was a song his mother used to sing to him. Curious now, Zuko took a seat on the floor beside her feet and watched her little fire figures walk around in the air.

He watched as two figures met beside an ocean of fire. The man and woman went through the motions of a courtship before falling into one another's arms. It pained Zuko to see it, but he could not tear his eyes away from the sight. He watched as more people came, to separate the lovers, to keep them from each other. But then they entered the Spirit World to beg help from the Moon and Sun. Their wish was granted and they were returned to one another, to live out their days in love.

But it was not meant to be. In death they were separated once more, one to live during the day, the other to live in the night. Only twice a day were they permitted to touch one another. When night and day blended into one, as they had blended, they met and could hold one another once more.

As the fire died away, Zuko glanced up at the woman. "But how can they go on, knowing they have only moments to be together?"

The woman sighed and placed a startlingly cool hand on his cheek. "Because they remember their struggles, and know that even a few moments will help them until the next."

The prince frowned. "Will they ever be free?"

Now the woman's sigh was filled with pain and longing. She looked off into the distance as she answered him. "'The price in death was paid, so that the two who loved lived a lifetime as one. In death they are parted, but for a moment when night becomes day and day night, until two of such like are made whole.'" She looked at Zuko, a smile forming on her face. "That is what drives us. Hope."

"'Us?'" Zuko echoed. "You--?"

She nodded. "Yes. I am Savitri. Nilam and I had our life together, free of dissention, and though we wish for more than this shadowed life, we are grateful for such a gift."

"But…"

Savitri placed a finger on his lips. "It is all right Prince Zuko. We accepted such a fate then. We will not back out now." She turned her head towards the door. "Ah. I must leave you now." She looked back. "But I will be here when you need me."

And with that, she was gone. A moment later, the door to the chamber opened and Katara stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Zuko?"

Zuko's heart leapt when he saw she was alone, but he tamped down his happiness. Instead, he rose calmly, his face blank, and walked towards her. "What happened to Jet?" he asked, trying to keep the jealousy from his voice.

Katara cocked her head at the odd sound in Zuko's voice, but she answered him. "I showed Jet around a bit, but he was tired so I made him go get some rest." Her brow furrowed with concern. "I'm worried about him, Zuko. He's still recovering and I don't want him to exhaust himself. I know he's had his rough patches, but he's still a friend."

Zuko was so relieved that Katara thought of Jet as only a friend that he didn't think. He simply marched right up to Katara and trapped her against the wall with his body. Her blue eyes were wide with surprise and curiosity at his bold behavior and he couldn't resist. He kissed her.

After a moment, Katara melted into him, unable to think of anything but him. She closed her eyes and gasped as he wrapped his arms about her waist, allowing his tongue to dart inside her mouth.

Zuko was amazed. She tasted like snow and honey. He pressed even closer, kissing her with all the emotions pent up inside of him. Katara's arms snaked around his neck, drawing him even closer. They couldn't have stopped if they wanted to.

When they finally broke apart, Katara was looking up at him, her eyes full of some unfamiliar emotion. "Zuko…"

He turned away from what he saw in her eyes, afraid of what was there. He reached up and brushed his fingers along his scar. "Why?" he asked her. "How can you not see, not be bothered that my face isn't whole?"

Katara's eyes filled with tears at the pain in Zuko's voice. "Zuko, that's not who you are." When he didn't respond to her words, Katara dashed the tears from her eyes. "And if you think it is, then you've made a grave error in judgment."

"But, I'm not…"

She moved forward and placed a kiss on his lips. "You're fine the way you are, Zuko. I offered to heal you once, and I would do so a thousand times more, but it wasn't for my benefit." She gave him a mischievous smile. "Besides, it makes you look mysterious and roguish. Live with it."

Zuko was taken aback. He looked at Katara, taking in her bright eyes and smiling mouth. The world was coming apart around them and she still found time to laugh. It was amazing.

Katara laughed and took hold of his hand, twining her fingers with his. "Now come on. I want to show you something."

Zuko said nothing, merely let Katara drag him from the room. _"She seems to do that to a lot of people…"_

* * *

Iroh watched as Zuko and Katara hurried down the hall together, never noticing that he was standing in the shadows. He entered the hidden chamber and bowed his head. "Thank you for watching over my Nephew. He is misguided and sometimes does not know his own mind. In return, I will tell you that your love has revealed himself to young Katara as well. Perhaps this curse has run its course."

Savitri stepped from the shadows. "Perhaps," she allowed. The woman cocked her head to the side. "But how do you know of me? And of my curse?"

"I have heard many stories in my travels. One was of two spirits kept from each other. It was said their bodies were placed in the possession of the Air nomads because their families would not allow either to rest in the other Nation. But I did not guess it was true until my Nephew slipped into the Spirit World."

Savitri bowed her head. "Then you know how we are to be set free. Do not think that I would manipulate your nephew. I am only attempting to help him. He is…conflicted. And I would not wish for him to be unhappy because of his family." She sighed. "I would not wish that on anyone."

"Again, I must thank you for watching over Zuko. And I must ask. Who is it that keeps this room so orderly when no one but spirits live here?"

For a moment, Savitri was silent. And then she leaned close to Iroh and whispered the answer in his ear. Shocked, the old General stepped back. "If this is so, then…"

Savitri nodded sadly. "She left when she spotted the Avatar's bison. When you leave, she will return. But she will keep her promise."

Iroh bowed once more and watched as Savitri faded away. The news had shocked him, yes, but he must not give such a thing away. He, too, had promised something long ago. He would not go back on that promise now.

* * *

**Oooh…what could it be? Sorry, folks, but this one won't be known until the end…still, that doesn't mean there won't be hints…Did you like the Zutaraness? Oh, and sorry to all those who want more. I'm afraid kissing and hand holding is as deep as it's gonna get…well, there may be some places where people can assume something happened, but, for the most part, things will be kept clean. Disappointing, I know...Well, you know what I'm after…Review!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Grr. Sometimes I hate my computer. I tried to upload this chapter, but it wouldn't work, so i had to go to notebook and then change the format in editing and...needless to say, it was a bit trying. But! luckily, i got it posted, so forgive any odd mistakes you might see...hope you like this one, though it's a bit emotional.**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-three**

Ty Lee glanced back at Sokka's still unconscious figure. She had done what she could to dress his wound, but she wasn't sure if it was enough. She needed to get Sokka to his sister, the waterbender. Maybe she could make it better.

"I'm sorry, Sokka," she whispered. "I didn't want you to get hurt." He was brave, but Ty Lee knew he had done something incredibly stupid. And, though Azula had tramped off in the opposite direction of the Air Temple, Ty Lee knew it was only a matter of time before she figured out what had happened. And then she would be angry.

A moan escaped from Sokka, indicating that he was waking up, so Ty Lee reached behind her and jabbed at one of his nerves, rendering him unconscious once more. The last thing she needed was for him to wake up when they were traveling. It would hurt him more than necessary.

As the Temple began to come into view, Ty Lee let out a little sigh of relief. Hopefully, Sokka could be helped. And hopefully Azula hadn't set her up. That was her biggest fear. Ty Lee didn't want to be the one to betray her newest friends. Still, it was getting hard playing on both sides of the fence. Azula was beginning to get suspicious. And why not? Ty Lee had changed. She was less…enthusiastic about what the princess was doing. And it was beginning to show.

"Azula and Mai are still my friends," she whispered, "but you are, too." A ghost of a smile flickered on her face. "Let's just hope you guys don't start mixing. If that happens, I'd have to worry about everyone else's sanity, too."

Zuko kept his eyes on Katara as she led him through the temple. She held his hand and she was laughing, her eyes like jewels in the sun. Her hair was up, as it nearly always was, and Zuko had the sudden urge to pull it free of its pins and loopies.

"Where are you taking me?" he asked.

Katara smiled back at him. "You'll see," she answered.

Zuko didn't really care about where she was taking him, really. He was simply trying anything to make her look back at him. He smiled. Not that it was too hard. Besides, she seemed as if she was having fun.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Jet came running around the corner. When he spotted Katara, he breathed a sigh of relief but stopped short when he saw her hand intertwined with Zuko's. Katara immediately let go, leaving Zuko feeling bereft…and angry.

Jet glared at Zuko for a moment and then turned to Katara, his face carefully blank. "Katara, we've been looking all over for you…It's Sokka"

Katara gasped and followed as Jet darted away. Zuko stayed behind for a moment before following at a slower pace, a scowl fixed on his face. He was getting closer to Katara, but he had a feeling that Jet would try everything to make sure that didn't happen.

-------

Katara's heart thumped wildly in her chest as she dashed through the halls of the temple. What was wrong with Sokka? _"What is happening!?"_ she screamed silently. "Jet--"

"Hurry, Katara"

"What--"

"Come on." As he led Katara outside, Jet tried not to show his anger. He had noticed Katara holding that…_firebender'_s hand. How could he not? What was going on? If he didn't know better, he could swear Katara liked the guy. But that was impossible. "It is impossible…isn't it"  
Still. Anything was possible…  
-------  
Katara nearly screamed when she entered the courtyard. Iroh was feverishly making tea and Toph was resting against the stone wall. But there, in the center, was Aang and Ty Lee, kneeling beside Sokka's prone figure. Even from far away, Katara could see the large black and red spot on Sokka's shoulder.

With a startled little cry, Katara flew across the courtyard, her hand already summoning the water from her waterskin.

"What happened?" she asked tearily, though she could already guess. She placed her water-covered hands over the wound and began to heal her brother.

Ty Lee glanced sadly at the distressed girl and shook her head. "We…caught up with your flying bison," she admitted. "Sokka wouldn't tell Azula where Aang was so she…she…" The girl broke off, looking towards the ground.

Katara's hands abruptly stopped glowing. She never noticed as Zuko entered the courtyard, keeping a suspicious eye on Jet. "How could you let that happen?" she asked Ty Lee, her voice rising. "How could you simply let her do that to my brother? Don't you have any compassion at all?" Her anger grew and the nearby pond began to ripple dangerously. Aang shared a troubled look with Iroh but the two remained silent.

"And what are you doing here?" Katara continued. "Spying for Azula? I bet you led her right to us!"

Ty Lee lifted her head, her eyes wide with shock and misery. "No! I would never do that, never."

"Why not? Azula's your friend, right? Then again, it doesn't seem like you're too loyal."

Katara was about to say more when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up and back to find Zuko looking down at her. "Katara…Look. She put a bandage on his wound, brought him here to you. If she didn't care, if she was only leading Azula here, then why would she bother bringing him back at all?"

"I don't know. Guilt?" Katara retorted, though her heart was no longer in it. She sighed just as a hand snaked around her ankle.

"Katara..."

Katara's anger immediately disappeared and she looked down at her brother, a smile on her face. She reached down and brushed the hair from his face. "Sokka. Are you all right?" she asked in concern.

"I've…" Sokka took a deep, pained breath. "I've seen better."

"Well, at least you're alive."

"Yeah…but are you going to heal me or yell at Ty Lee all day."

"What? Oh!" Katara gave her brother a guilty look and then took the bandage off of his shoulder, placing her hands over his wound again.

-------

Zuko watched as Katara's hands began to glow, sealing the burn mark on her brother's shoulder. As he watched Katara lovingly heal the burn, Zuko finally admitted the truth. It welled up in him, taking him by surprise, but it had been there for quite some time. He loved her. Now all he needed to do was make her see just how much he cared about her…and find a way to keep Jet out of the picture.

-------

Iroh watched his nephew watch Katara. His look was so tender and caring, it took the old general by surprise. It seemed his little plans for getting bringing Katara and Zuko were working well. Actually, they were working much better than he had anticipated. Still, it was nice to see such a change in Zuko.

-------

Katara finished healing and made sure her brother was comfortable before standing. As soon as she stood, however, the world around her began to spin, and she felt faint. She had spent too much energy healing her brother, though it was a worthy thing to spend it on.

The waterbender began to sway. Both Jet and Zuko moved forward to catch her but, as the world began to fade away, Katara moved closer to the most familiar. Just before she fainted, she smiled into his eyes, knowing that he would catch her.

-------

Zuko caught Katara and lifted her into his arms. He turned to Iroh. "I'll take her to her room, Uncle." His gaze found her face and when he spoke again, his words were soft. "She's very tired."

Without another word, he left the courtyard and carried her through the temple, savoring the feel of her in his arms. Zuko smiled down at her. She looked so peaceful, so calm. Warmth seeped into him and he entered her room, still smiling.

Zuko placed her gently on her cot and covered her with a thin blanket, knowing she would be a bit cold in the night. He turned to leave but was stopped as Katara weakly grabbed hold of his hand.

"Zuko…would you stay with me?" His stomach fluttered and his heart began to beat faster at the question.

He smiled gently. "I'd love to," he answered.

* * *

**Eeee! I just love the thought of Zutara, don't you? Sorry, I was looking at some fan-art, and some screenshots from the season finale and I couldn't help myself. And, there's supposed to be an Avatar live-action movie…I wonder who they'll get to play the parts… Uggh…has anyone heard anything about the new season? I'm dying here, waiting for it to be on…and I'm dying to see if they're going to take the Zutara thing any farther…you know there were hints! There were definite hints…uggh. They need to stop teasing us and get on with it! Do you agree?  
Please review!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I kinda like this chapter. It's a bit rushed, but i still like it. and it seems someone might just disappear from the little gaang. Hope you like it!**

**disclaimer: i have only managed to raise $3. 22. I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. sniff. it's sad...**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-four**

Katara opened her eyes to find Zuko beside her, eyes closed in sleep. She smiled and gently ran her fingers through his hair. _"He looks so peaceful."_

"_He looks more than peaceful…he looks…younger, somehow. Like the weight of the world has been taken off of his shoulders."_

"_He doesn't need to worry and keep his guard up when he's sleeping." _

"_No. He doesn't."_

She watched him as he slept. And when he woke, she was still watching, a smile on her face. When Zuko opened his eyes, he grinned sleepily, reaching up to play with her unbound hair.

Katara couldn't resist. She kissed him gently and then pulled back, her sapphire eyes shining. "Good morning, Zuko," she whispered. "It seems like we're waking up together more and more often."

A charming blush appeared on his face and Katara giggled. Zuko sat up and sent her a mock glare. "Aren't you a bit awake this morning?" he griped. His question elicited another giggle and he couldn't help grinning back at her.

"Come on," she said, tapping his arm, "I'll make breakfast." Katara rose from the bed, putting up her hair with deft motions.

"Why do you always put your hair up like that?"

Katara turned, still fixing her braid. "Hmm?"

Another smile appeared on Zuko's face and he stood, too. With gentle fingers, he combed out her braid and loopies, leaving her hair to hang free. "I like it better that way," he whispered in explanation at her questioning look.

She moved to turn away but her took hold of her arm and she looked at him. "I have to go and make sure Sokka's doing all right," she whispered.

"Wait." He bent his head and placed a kiss on her lips. "Good morning."

Katara sent him an amused look and then pulled away, rushing out of her room. Her face burned from the look she had seen in his eyes.

Zuko waited until she was a little farther away and called out, "What about breakfast?" Her laughter drifted back to him and he grinned, slowly following her.

* * *

When he entered the courtyard, Zuko found Katara had already begun breakfast. The aroma of fresh fish and exotic vegetables floated in the air, bidding him to move closer. Zuko stepped forward, only to feel the unmistakable feeling of someone watching him. He turned his head to see Jet leaning against a nearby wall, eyes filled with distrust. 

Katara was humming softly to herself as she cooked the fish, wondering if the smell of food would wake Sokka up. No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Sokka's eyes popped open. He eyes her with one bleary eye, already drooling.

"Food?" he asked weakly.

Katara laughed delightedly and shoved a plate into his face. Sokka immediately sat up, taking hold of the plate, eyes growing wide at the mountain of food. He was just picking up a piece of fish when he stopped and glared at Katara.

"What is this?" he asked suspiciously. "You never give me this much food."

Katara shrugged, her smile still fixed on her face. "I'm in a good mood today," was all she said. And then she turned back to the food.

Sokka, still keeping an eye on his sister, bit into the fish. And almost died. "This is delicious!" he said, bits of food flying from his mouth. Beside him, Ty Lee giggled.

"You're so cute!" she squealed hugging him.

Sokka swallowed and then grinned down at her, his chest puffing out. "But manly, too, right?"

"Yeah," Toph said from her place beside Aang. "You look exactly like a great warrior, Sokka."

The whole courtyard—with the exception of Jet and Sokka—burst out laughing. "What?" the Water Tribe boy asked, looking from one person to the other. "What's so funny?" And then he got it. "Oh," he said, glaring at Toph. But his glare went to waste.

Zuko exchanged an amused glance with Katara. He couldn't remember when the last time he had laughed like this was. It had been a very long time. Rarely had he laughed with another person before Katara came along. Now he was laughing with everyone.

Off to the side, Jet made a disgusted noise and turned to walk off.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here, Mai?"

At the sound of that malicious voice, everyone turned. Zuko and Iroh both glared daggers at Azula, jumping up into defensive stances. Katara's eyes widened in surprise before narrowing into a look of absolute hatred. Aang and Toph stood as one, both readying themselves to bend. No one noticed, however, as Ty Lee seemed to shrink into herself, her face paling. The interested look Jet gave Mai was almost completely ignored, though a slight blush appeared on the dreary girl's face.

"Azula," Zuko growled.

A brow raised above Azula's cold eyes. "Zuzu," she said in reply. The Fire princess glanced at Ty Lee and said in a bored tone, "I always knew you were a weak link in the chain, Ty Lee, but I never thought that you would betray the Fire Nation. Still, I must thank you for leading us straight to the Avatar."

Ty Lee made a low sound of distress and Sokka wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"Azula, this is madness," Iroh stated calmly, moving to stand between his niece and the others. "You know as well as I that this war has brought nothing but pain. To everyone."

Azula frowned. "That's where you're wrong, Uncle. This war has brought much more." She smirked and moved closer. "It has brought power and glory to the Fire Nation. It has shown just exactly how the strong conquer the weak." At her last words, her gaze fell on Zuko.

The prince reacted violently, taking a step forward, his hands heating up. Katara, however, put a restraining hand on his arm. Boldly, she looked Azula right in the eye. "It might have brought glory, but it has also shown exactly _who_ possesses _true_ power." She sent her own smirk. "If I remember correctly, _Princess_ Azula, your 'strength' hardly stood a chance against Aang and me." Katara's chin went up a notch and she crossed her arms over her chest. "As I recall, you had an army at your back."

Anger flitted over the other girl's face and then her face smoothed. "A mere tool," she said calmly. "But what do you know? You're just a simple Water peasant. What could you know about power?"

Katara gave Zuko's arm a subtle squeeze, telling him without words to follow her lead. "Oh, I think I understand a lot more than you think, Azula." Suddenly, she and Zuko burst into action, both sending whips towards Azula. The fire and water moved opposite of one another, but Zuko and Katara's movements mirrored the other's movements exactly. Azula barely had time to jump out of the way when Aang sent a blast of air straight towards her and Toph upset the ground beneath the two Fire Nation girls.

Sokka, his appetite appeased and his wound sealed, jumped up, ready to defend his friends, his family. Ty Lee did the same. She tumbled forward, flipping to strike out at Azula. The princess moved out of the way of the girl's well-placed jabs but Ty Lee had only been a distraction. Sokka moved in and jabbed Azula in the arm, rendering her bending useless.

Even though she couldn't bend, however, Azula was still an excellent fighter. She knocked Sokka to the ground and kicked Ty Lee's legs out from under her. "You're a traitor," she hissed at her old friend.

"I never wanted this to happen, Azula," Ty Lee whispered. "I admired you once. I thought you were the best friend I could ever have. But now I know different."

Meanwhile, Mai lifted herself off of the ground, only to find the earth buckling beneath her. She cried out but held her footing, managing to stay up. She whirled around to throw a dagger at the nearest target but was stopped as Jet grabbed her wrist.

"I can't let you do that," he whispered in a low voice.

"Too bad," Mai replied, kicking out with her foot. But Jet stopped her.

"Pretty _and_ deadly. Do you have a boyfriend?"

The question stopped Mai cold, giving Katara enough time to strike her down with a water whip. Jet grinned down at the somber girl. "Too bad."

Azula looked around to find herself surrounded. She glared at her brother and uncle. This was all _their_ fault. Still, knowing when she needed to retreat, Azula grabbed hold of Mai and darted to the side, scaling the wall before anyone could touch her. Right before she disappeared, however, she looked back. "You'll regret this decision," she growled softly. Ty Lee looked away.

As everyone was calming down—Iroh was already putting on another pot of tea—Jet slipped away, determined to get away from the fray. It was apparent that he wasn't needed. By anyone, let alone Katara. He smirked. But he had some very valuable information that he couldn't just let go to waste.

"Goodbye, Katara," he whispered softly. "It's been fun."

* * *

**The end of this story is looming closer…it's so sad. Still. There's more to come. And what exactly is going on in Jet's head? Looks like he hasn't completely given up on getting back at a certain Fire Nation prince… Please review. **


	25. Chapter 25

**Well, this one should be pretty nice. I hope you all like it. It's full of tender moments and dancing and such things...it's all so cute and lovely, so enjoy. **

**Disclaimer: if I owned _Avatar: The Last Airbender_, a love-hate Zutara would have started up in the first season. ooooh, i _adore_ love-hate relationships, so interesting, aren't they? **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-five**

Katara rose from her spot in the courtyard, sighing. They had all spent the day in the courtyard, watching as Iroh and Toph put Aang through his paces. Katara had bowed out; Aang was almost as good at waterbending as she was. There was hardly any use for it to get in the way of his newer lessons.

Sokka and Ty Lee were sitting together in a corner of the courtyard, speaking softly to each other. But they had spent most of the day practicing fighting moves and pressure points. Sokka had even _almost_ gotten Ty Lee once. Almost.

Zuko, on the other hand, had taken an active part in educating Aang, following his Uncle's lessons and even pointing out a few things. And Jet…Katara shook her head. He had disappeared again, obviously deciding it was time to split. It saddened Katara, but she didn't know what to do. She had noticed the tension between Zuko and the Freedom Fighter. How could she not? But Jet was an old crush, one she didn't have any interest in anymore.

The young waterbender moved away from the sight of dancing flames and rolling earth, and disappeared into the temple. It was late. And she wanted to visit the water garden again. She wanted to speak to the waterbender again. A smile danced about her lips. Especially since she thought she knew exactly who he was.

Zuko watched Katara walk into the temple. And was nearly hit by one of Aang's wayward fireballs. He ducked just in time and nodded towards his uncle. Bowing out of the practice, Zuko trailed Katara, hoping her brother was too occupied with Ty Lee to notice.

He followed softly, not really wanting her to know he was there. She walked almost as if she was in a trance, but Zuko knew she was just tired. She had used an enormous amount of energy to heal Sokka the day before, after having stayed up for nearly twenty-four hours. Still, he wanted to make sure that she was all right.

-------

Katara found the door to the garden and smiled, pushing open the door. She rushed inside, all too eager to learn more moves from the other waterbender. Some of his techniques were…unusual. And powerful. She really enjoyed it.

She entered the garden and then when she saw him, she grinned. "Hello," she said in greeting.

The man turned and smiled warmly, like an older brother. "Hello, Katara. Are you ready for some more practice?"

Katara nodded and waded into the biggest pool of water, already pulling up a thin, glittering water whip. "What are we doing today?" she asked him.

The man smiled as he heard a sound in the shadows. "Dancing," he replied. "It has been quite a long time since I danced." He, too, waded into the pool, a faraway look gathering in his strange, aqua eyes. They turned dark with the memories, looking like the deepest sapphires.

"We used to dance beautifully," he told Katara softly. "Silver and gold we were, ribbons dancing in the wind." A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips and he drew up his own ribbon of water. "It was like magic and we danced all night."

Katara smiled. "I danced like that once," she whispered. "I don't know if it was a dream, but we could have continued forever. I never wanted it to end." A sigh escaped her and she moved her hands, causing her water whip to weave through the air. "It was like a dream, but I will never forget it."

"Katara…"

Both waterbenders turned to find Zuko standing in the shadows, his golden eyes burning in the night. He had followed Katara into the garden, wanting to spend time with her. And then he had found her with someone else. Rage had boiled black inside of him but then she started to talk. And he remembered what she was saying. He, too, had dreamt of the self same dance. He wouldn't ever forget it, either.

Katara grinned brilliantly and she motioned for him to step closer. "Zuko, this is Nilam," she said. Her eyes flickered to the other waterbender. He didn't look too surprised that she knew who he was. He simply bowed to Zuko.

"It is good to finally meet you," he said politely. "Savitri speaks well of you."

Katara turned wide eyes on Zuko. "Savitri?" she breathed. "You've seen her?" Zuko nodded. "Why didn't you tell me?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on his face. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

She blushed and opened her mouth to say something but Nilam saved her. "It was nice to meet you," he said to Zuko, "but I would like to rest." His head cocked to the side. "Perhaps you would be willing to take my place?"

Before Zuko could answer, Nilam disappeared. The young prince shrugged and stepped forward, pulling off his shirt. It was warm that night and he doubted he would need the extra protection. He faced Katara, a grin on his face. "Shall we?" he asked.

Katara nodded. And their dance began.

The water and wind whispered together, playing a song just for the two as they both summoned their elements. It was like before but this time, they moved closer, wanting to feel each other as they danced. This time, fire and water met in cascades of steam and mist, floating about them as they stared into each other's eyes. They lost themselves there, engaging in a ballet of love and courtship.

Though the dark descended on them, the night was no longer black. Zuko's fire reflected in the pools, casting a golden glow on the two. The moon and stars shone merrily above, whispering amongst themselves at the magic below.

Ribbons of fire and water dipped and weaved, fluttering between the two like children. And, as Katara and Zuko moved even closer, two voices rose to fill the night.

"_Dance with me, dance with me,_

'_till the moon goes dark._

_Sing with me, sing with me,_

'_till the stars alight._

_And love me, love me,_

'_till the world has fallen. _

"_I found the world_

_locked in a dream_

_and made my one last stand._

_My heart did still_

_and I did cry_

_but now I've found my mind._

_The earth has gone,_

_the sky is here,_

_and darkness falls again._

"_So dance with me, dance with me,_

'_till the sun rises._

_Sing with me, sing with me,_

'_till the sky alights._

_And love me, love me,_

'_till the world has fallen."_

So intent were Katara and Zuko on their dance, on each other, neither saw the forms of Savitri and Nilam, together once more. The lovers glanced towards each other, just as the sun was rising. The two embraced with a kiss before disappearing again, the wind still mimicking their song.

The sun crested over the horizon and Zuko and Katara slowed. They came to a stop, foreheads touching. They smiled into each other's eyes and each hugged the other closer. At that moment, neither felt any fear, any apprehension. Their hearts were at peace, their feelings close to the surface.

"Katara, I…"

She smiled. "I know," she whispered. "I…"

Zuko mirrored her loving grin. "I know."

The two laughed softly as their lips met and they moved even closer, wanting to crawl inside one another. Their kiss became more passionate, but it was still slow, the magic of their dance still keeping them in their own little dream world. They soon sank to the ground and fell into each other's arms. The wind whispered in the trees for a moment before quieting once more.

* * *

**Do you like it? And yes, you people can assume all you want. Remember, in this fic, the two are just a bit older than they are in the show, about two years, so it's all good. Anyway, if you were in my honors lit. class, my teacher would be muttering, "you can assume _something_ has taken place," a smug grin on her face. So…sigh at the lovely little moment and review, please!**


	26. Chapter 26

**here we go...another new chapter. i want to thank everyone who reviews...you are great! i hope you like this chapter...i have more coming, too, after this...there are still threads to tie up...and i have a BIG surprise for everyone at the end...i'm still uncertain if it's good or bad, tho...anywho...enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-six**

They knew he was following them. Azula definitely knew and she was biding her time, waiting for him to come close enough to rope him in. Jet watched from the treetops and wanted to laugh. She appeared to be one of those people who invoked something great in others. She put the fear in them but in such a way that they remained loyal.

His eyes drifted to the other. She was quite intriguing and possessed a singularly angular beauty. She seemed the epitome of a bored noble, but Jet knew exactly how dangerous she could be.

Azula stopped suddenly and Mai followed suit. "If you're going to follow us, at least have the dignity to make sure we don't know you're there," the princess said quietly.

Jet smiled faintly and dropped to the ground before the two young women. "When I first saw you, I was under the impression few things got by you." He flashed his patent smile. "It appears I was right."

"What do you want?"

Jet leaned up against a tree, his eyes on Mai. "Let's just say the firebenders traveling with the Avatar are not at the top of my friends list," he answered sardonically. "And, considering how far it appears you'll go to bring them down, I figure I should join you if I want the same thing." He shrugged. "You know, consolidate my assets and whatever."

The barest whisper of a smile ghosted across Mai's face but it quickly returned to her usual cynical façade.

"_I can use this pathetic plebian to my advantage,"_ Azula thought to herself. She took the time to watch his movements, how he carried himself. _"A good fighter. He uses his own techniques in a particular area, though he uses more intimidation than anything to get his way."_ A slender brow raised above her cold eyes. He was fast, his lean figure told her that, but he was also ruthless, a quality she could use to her own advantage. Her eyes followed his gaze and she barely contained her smirk. _"He seems a bit infatuated with Mai. That, too, could work to my advantage."_

"Fine," Azula allowed in a bored tone. "But I don't allow just anyone to travel with me."

Jet smiled. "I wouldn't expect you to."

Azula moved closer. "Well, just so no one's expectations are crushed…I would like you to complete a task for me."

"I'll do whatever it takes."

A dark, sinister look appeared on Azula's face and she smiled. "Excellent."

* * *

Even before her eyes opened, Katara was blushing. She felt it rise to her cheeks but, oddly enough, she didn't feel in the least embarrassed. Instead, she felt warm and loved, as if she were lying out in the sun on a beautiful summer day.

When she opened her eyes, she almost laughed. It _was_ summer, and it seemed to be the middle of the day. And the sun was looking right at her, his golden eyes fixed on her blushing face.

He kissed her and then ran off, flashing a smile at her over his shoulder. Katara sighed and stretched dreamily. It was so warm out and she smiled. Clouds drifted across the sky, making intriguing shapes. The sound of running water surrounded her and the waterbender jumped up. She was going to take a swim.

She reached the edge of the large pool and looked cautiously about. The door to the garden was closed and Zuko had run off somewhere. She was completely alone. Well, except for the birds singing in the willows.

She stripped out of everything except for her chemise and then dove into the pool. The water felt so cool and soothing. Everything was so clear and beautiful beneath the water. But she needed air. Katara rose to the surface and then bended a water bubble filled with air. She put this against her mouth and then dove back underneath the surface.

Light rippled around her, silver and gold, and she went deeper. She was amazed at how deep the pool went, almost as if it went on forever. Katara smiled through her air bubble. It was so peaceful.

Finally, after what seemed forever, Katara reached the bottom. Fine white sand spread in all directions, perfect and pristine. Except for something…The young woman swam towards a small lump on the pool's bottom. As she neared it, she frowned. Perhaps it was only a trick of the water, but it seemed to her as if it was _beating_.

She reached out to take hold of it, almost entranced. It was glimmering now, like a sapphire, but still keeping its constant beat. Her fingers touched it and she moved closer still, to hold it. Her hand settled over it and the world around her burst with millions of tiny bubbles. In them, she could swear she saw everything.

The bubbles swirled around her and she closed her eyes, listening to the rhythmic beating of the sapphire heart. It sang to her, and her heart began to match its rhythm. She felt sad, somehow, but happy all the same. And then she opened her eyes.

She was sitting on the grass beside the pool, her right hand closed, and her left arm raised in entreaty. She was sopping wet. Frowning, she opened her right hand and looked down. Nestled in her palm was a beautiful stone. It was blue with swirls of red veins all over. Katara smiled faintly and closed her hand once more. She didn't know what had happened, but she didn't need to.

* * *

"Hey, where's Katara?"

Sokka lifted his head at Aang's inquisitive voice and then he scowled. "Where's Zuko?" he retorted, standing.

Ty Lee laughed. "Don't worry, Sokka," she said, putting her hand on his arm. "I'm sure everything's fine."

Sokka half turned and frowned down at her. "But she and that…that…" He growled. "You don't see how he looks at her!"

Ty Lee stood and took his face in her hands. "Would it really be so bad if she were happy, Sokka? I'm sure she knows what she's getting herself into. You don't need to worry."

"She does have a point, you know," Toph said drolly.

"Yeah," Aang said. "Katara's had a lot to worry about. Why don't you just let her have fun?" He grinned and held up a cup. "Have some tea!"

Sokka let out a huge sigh and was just taking hold of the cup when he frowned. "Where's Iroh?" he asked.

Toph answered. "He said he's going to go 'appreciate the beauty of nature,'" she said, mimicking the old general's voice. She shrugged. "I don't get it."

"No offense, Toph, but I can see why."

Toph didn't say anything, merely slammed a fist into the ground, sending Sokka flying into the air. He landed roughly on his butt and Ty Lee walked up to him, giggling furiously. He glared at her.

"Sorry, Sokka," the acrobat said in apology, "but you have to admit, it's pretty funny."

"Which part?" he grumbled.

Ty Lee giggled harder as Sokka stood, rubbing at his backside.

When things had settled down and everyone was sipping at their tea, Sokka said, "We sure are drinking a lot of tea. Are you sure they're not trying to poison us?"

Everyone laughed. They knew Sokka was starting to accept Iroh and Zuko just by the lack of intensity in his voice. And, though he didn't like the relationship that seemed to be growing between Katara and the banished prince, Sokka loved his sister and would accept what made her happy. Even if he hated the idea.

At that moment, Zuko walked into the courtyard, looking rather…_cheery_, if it was possible. He walked over to Aang. "I talked with my Uncle and he wants me to help you with your training today."

"Oh," Aang said, discarding his tea. "Is he all right?"

Zuko nodded. "Just a bit tired. He's off staring at lilies and such, determined to find 'true meaning' and such. He says that sometimes it's good for the soul if you just sit and take things in."

Aang nodded. "I know what he means."

"Shall we get started, then?" The Avatar nodded again and the two moved off.

Sokka, however, had other plans. "Hey, Zuko."

Zuko turned, keeping his face carefully blank. "Yes?"

"Have you seen Katara?"

The scarred young man hesitated a moment before answering. There had been no real animosity in Sokka's voice; maybe he was getting less aggressive, for now at least. Zuko gave a nod. "She's in one of the gardens, I think."

"Okay." Sokka turned to the others. "Come on, I could use more practice at the jabs."

Toph waved a hand in his general direction. "You two lovebirds go on; I want to watch this."

"Toph—"

She didn't even listen to the rest of what Sokka was going to say, she simply pressed a hand to the earth and shoved Sokka from the courtyard. Ty Lee followed, laughing softly. Toph smiled. Sometimes it was a pain to be around so many people, but most of the time it was quite fun. Besides, if she were at home, it'd be a _lot_ worse. This was great.

She sat still and quietly "watched" as Zuko began Aang's training. Everything was going so good. They all seemed to be stuck in a timeless place, but she knew time was running short. The solar eclipse was less than two weeks away. They couldn't forget that.

* * *

**This one was a bit hard to write; writer's block, ya know? So I solved the problem by watching Avatar. And it worked! My little mind went whirring away, but I don't know if I'm completely happy with this chapter. Still, there's just a little bit more to go, what with the end of the summer coming up...maybe five more chapters, at least. I mean, Azula still has some sneaky plans and all...anyway, what did you people think? Review, please!**


	27. Chapter 27

**So sorry for the long wait...school is horrible...as is the flu...i get sick a lot and the flu was definitely not one of the better illnesses...anyway, i've got this new chapter up, and i hope everyone likes it...so, here we go!**

**disclaimer: i don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender...unfortunately...if i did, we wouldn't have to wait so long for the new season!!!!!!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-seven**

He was careful as he snuck about the temple. He couldn't let anyone know he was there, though they were all asleep. He had made sure of that. He couldn't fail at this, not if he wanted to save her from herself.

He remembered where her room was and he knew that he could leave with her and not be caught. Still, he was a bit concerned. Zuko seemed rather attached to her, and Jet wasn't sure what could happen if _he_ happened to wake.

"Then I'll simply have to be careful," he whispered to himself.

Carefully, he entered her room, pushing the door open slowly and quietly. He smiled as he saw her sleeping form. This was going to be easy.

Jet managed to lift Katara without any trouble, slipping his hands under her still form. He silently raced through the temple.

Azula had been too nervous to come to the Temple herself. Not that she had said anything. Instead, she had dumped the task on _him_, wanting to test him. Jet smirked in the dark. It hadn't been anything he couldn't handle.

-------

"_ZuZu is too stubborn for his own good. Even if we managed to capture him, he wouldn't give us any information…and he's not as valuable to either my witless uncle or the Avatar. It would be easiest to capture that Water Tribe girl."_

"_You want me to kidnap Katara?" Jet asked incredulously. _

_Azula turned away from him. "Don't bother coming back without her." _

_Jet sent a silent snarl at her back and then said, "Fine." Without another word, he turned and left the two Fire Nation girls. He would kidnap Katara, if only to end this._

-------

Jet looked down on Katara with a grim expression. "Don't worry, Katara," he whispered. "You'll be fine." He held her closer as he raced through the woods. He wasn't sure what plans Azula had, but if they involved hurting Katara, Jet would do everything to stop her.

Despite the fact that Jet had seen the feeling and emotion between Katara and the Fire Nation prince, he still had been unable to let Katara go. Her determination to stop him, her inner strength…both attracted him to her like a bee to honey. She was everything he admired. She was kind and caring, but could be the fiercest fighter in the world without a moment's hesitation. And, though he hated that she had chosen that firebender over him, Jet couldn't help but still like her.

"_I see you didn't fail. Did you do as I asked?"_

"_Yeah. They know exactly who's responsible."_

Katara stirred a bit, hearing the voices as they pierced through her dreams. _Azula? Jet?_ She was confused. This was an odd dream, especially if those two were in it…but then again…maybe this wasn't a dream. Maybe it was a nightmare.

In her sleep, Katara slipped a hand into the pocket of her dress and clutched at the stone there.

-------

_The figures moved around her, fire blazing behind them. She couldn't see their faces, but she didn't need to. She heard their voices, knew they were evil themselves. Up above her head, the sky had turned blood-red, the sun dim and dark. _

"_They'll come soon enough. Just wait. If my brother is anything, he's predictable. Quite pathetic, actually."_

_Katara turned towards the voice, her eyes searching. But all she could see was a shadowy figure. "I know you're there, Azula!" she screamed. _

_The figure turned and for a moment, Katara could see her face, but then Azula turned her back once more. _

"_What is it?" Mai. _

"_Nothing," Azula answered softly. "I thought I heard…" She shook her head. "I hope ZuZu hurries; I don't want to get too bored." _

_In the dark, shouts began and Katara fell to the ground, tears slipping down her cheeks. She could hear her friends, but they were so far away…so very far away…_

"_Zuko…"_

* * *

"_Zuko…"_

The young firebender gave a cry and woke from his sleep, launching his body from the bed. "Katara!" His breath was coming fast and uneven; sweat covered his brow. He pressed a hand to his head and stared into the darkness of his room.

Sighing, Zuko lay back down, assuring himself that everything was fine. He closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep but the feeling that Katara was in trouble persisted. Shaking his head, he stood.

"I'll just go check on her," he whispered to himself. "Maybe she's cold or something." Even as he said it, Zuko knew it wasn't true. The feeling in his gut said something was very, very wrong.

He left his room and noted that the temple was very quiet. He glanced out one of the windows, finding the night just as still and silent. Something was not right. His heart skipped a beat as he thought of his dream. Katara had been surrounded by fire, crying. He hoped nothing was wrong.

Zuko reached Katara's room in record time but, as his eyes spied the open door, his heart nearly stopped. Katara never left her door open at night. Having little privacy while traveling, she held every solitary moment to herself.

The scarred prince entered the room, hoping against hope that she had just forgotten to close his door, even though he remembered seeing her close it. And as he neared the bed, his hopes were dashed against the rocks of a restless ocean. Her bed was empty, showing no sign that she had gotten up of her own accord.

For a long moment, Zuko couldn't think, but then he yelled. It tore from deep inside of him. He was drowning in his rage; he couldn't see past him. It was only when he felt a familiar hand on his shoulder that the enraged prince could see, could speak.

"She's gone."

Iroh came to stand beside his nephew as Sokka raced into the room, his hair still mussed from sleep. "Oh, Nephew."

Zuko didn't look at his uncle as he turned and stormed from Katara's room. "I'm going to get her back," he growled. He didn't notice when the door burst into flames behind him.

"Wow," Sokka whispered, putting his own anger aside to gaze in amazement at the retreating prince. "He's more powerful than I thought."

Iroh nodded grimly and began to follow his nephew. "Unlike Azula, Zuko has trouble pushing aside his emotions, but it makes him unpredictable, his bending uncontrolled. While that gives Azula the advantage most of the time, emotions _strengthen_ Prince Zuko's bending. He isn't always accurate, but what he loses in his lack of discipline, he makes up in sheer force."

Aang walked up to the two, his face set. Toph and Ty Lee soon followed, both looking just as grim.

"Katara's gone," Sokka explained, his voice growing angry again. "And we're going after her."

No one said anything. They merely followed in the smoky wake of the banished prince.

* * *

Katara smiled in her sleep, her panic slowly dying. Somehow, she knew Zuko was coming. He would take all of her nightmares away. She snuggled deeper into her pillow, only to find that it wasn't there. Puzzled, Katara opened her eyes to find it. And found herself on the ground.

Her eyes widened as she heard someone speak.

"Good. You're awake."

She glanced around and nearly screamed as her gaze fell on Jet. Biting back a sob, Katara closed her eyes. _"Hurry, Zuko…"_

* * *

**I know, I know…kinda short…and Jet kidnapped Katara! It's so horrible, but luckily Zuko's coming to save the day, forest fires trailing him. Sorry for it being so short, and I want to thank everyone who has ever reviewed…but I need more! It's like crack…sadly enough…**

**-please review!**


	28. Chapter 28

**roarrr! another new chapter up! yay me! i was sick again today, but i felt good enough to write (i think 13+ hours of sleep is a good restorative, don't you?) anway...here you ppl. go!**

**oooh... I want to give a BIG, GIANT HUG to everyone who had ever, ever reviewed! i just can't thank everyone enough. i would give out candy, but it might be a bit hard...**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-eight**

"What's your problem?" Katara snapped as Mai glanced at her again.

The solemn girl turned away, her face as blank as ever. "I just wanted to know…what he sees…in you," she whispered. The words were so quiet Katara almost didn't hear them.

"Him? Him who?"

But Mai fell silent again. Without another word, she stood and brushed leaves and dirt from her clothes. After another moment, she walked off, leaving Katara all alone.

The Water Tribe girl sighed and let her head fall back against the tree she was tied to. There was no water for a very long way…and she wanted to get away. Katara frowned. No, what she really wanted was for Azula to drop off the face of the earth. The Fire Nation princess was one of the most evil people Katara had ever met. And she didn't think the Fire Lord would be much better.

------- _start flashback-------_

"_What are you going to do?"_

_A slender brow rose above Azula's cold eye and she glanced towards Katara. "I don't need to explain myself to _you_, peasant." Suddenly, a slow smile crept across her face. "But, seeing as how you can't do anything about it…I'm using you as bait to catch my brother and the Avatar. After that, you and your friends will be taken to the Fire Lord. So that he can personally see to your execution." _

"_Oh, well, isn't that just wonderful?" Katara muttered sarcastically. _

_Azula smiled evilly. "Oh, it will be."_

------- _end flashback-------_

"Uggh. If only there were something I could use!" Katara whispered fiercely to herself. And then a sudden thought flew across her mind, stopping her heart before it began to beat crazily in her chest.

She had once heard of a waterbending technique so dangerous to both the bender and their opponent that it was no longer taught to waterbending students. Though Katara had never been ever to figure out just what it entailed, she _had_ heard that, with the technique, the waterbender could use the water in their _opponent_. If such a thing were possible, it was no wonder the move had been banned…but Katara could really use it in a situation like this.

_But how…?_

Katara closed her eyes and concentrated. She could sense water, wherever it was…perhaps if she tried hard enough, she would be able to sense the water _inside_ of things. After all, she was able to sense water when it was in containers. Why not in living things?

Clearing her mind, Katara reached out, sent a silent call to her element. At first, all she felt was the faint glimmer of streams and ponds far away, but then, as time passed, her world began to light up. Small lights, like stars, appeared all around her, whispering like streams. In her mind, the lights became clearer, more focused, and she could see _everything_. She could see and feel the world around her, all by using the small amounts of water contained within all living things.

Fascinated, Katara followed the path of a water droplet on a leaf far above her head, watched as it fell from the leaf and towards the ground. Smiling, she reached out to it, and 'watched' as it began to slow. And then something else caught her attention. Letting the droplet go, Katara turned her mind to a place far beneath her feet.

She was surprised to find water flowing beneath her. She called it to her and the water began to seep up through the ground. It came closer and closer until it was just below a thin layer of the earth. She moved her hand as much as she could, bound to the tree as she was, so that her palm rested just above the water. She smiled again and then called once more…

"Katara!"

Her eyes snapped open and she sat glaring at Jet, upset that he had disturbed her. She almost had it! "What?" she asked, her voice sharp.

Jet moved back a little, his face closing. "It looked like you weren't breathing, and you've been out for two hours…" He looked away. "I wouldn't want our hostage to die." And with that, he moved across the clearing and began to practice with his hooked swords.

Katara shook her head in exasperation. You'd think they'd treat a hostage a bit better. Suddenly, a jet of blue flames hit the tree right above her head. Katara turned to find a furious Azula standing nearby, seething.

"It's been nearly four hours! Where _are_ they?"

Jet stopped swinging his swords and glanced at Azula. "They're probably just getting up. Don't worry; they'll come."

Azula looked at Jet for a long minute and then began to calm down. "It's just like ZuZu to laze around all day," she muttered. She made a move to turn around but, just as she did, flames erupted around her, fueled by a strong wind.

Unfazed, Azula stood in the center of the fire ring and crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk fixed on her face. "Looks like ZuZu got up early after all." But, as soon as the words were out of her mouth, a tendril of flame separated itself from the blaze to strike her cheek. Surprised, Azula didn't even move when Zuko jumped into the circle, twin swords ready.

"Azula," he growled, "I challenge you to an Agni Kai."

Azula laughed. "Oh, ZuZu. You never learn, do you?"

A slow smile spread across Zuko's face at her words. "And you just don't get it, Azula," Zuko retorted. "You don't have a choice."

Meanwhile, Katara used the distractions to her advantage. With a simple motion of her hands, she managed to call a small trickle of water from the ground. A small breath froze it and she used the icicle to cut the ropes tying her to the tree.

The princess smirked and made a waving motion with her hands at the surrounding flames. But when nothing happened, her smirk died. Eyes widening, she tried again. Still nothing. Suddenly, a scowl appeared. "Nice trick, ZuZu," she said finally. Donning her blank mask again, she shrugged and checked her nails. "Very well. I'll play, ZuZu."

"This isn't a game, Azula."

Outside of the fire ring, Mai and Jet had sprung into action, only to find themselves trapped by Toph, Iroh, and Aang. Ty Lee and Sokka raced over to free Katara, only to find she had freed herself.

Sokka hugged Katara fiercely, his blue eyes filled with relief. "You're not hurt?" he asked her.

She shook her head as he released her and then turned her eyes to where Zuko and Azula were now slowly circling each other. She moved forward, intent on helping, but Sokka held her back. With sympathetic eyes, he said, "No, Katara. This is something he has to work out himself."

Hearing something in his voice, Katara turned her eyes back onto her brother. "Sokka?"

"I came to a realization as we were looking for you, Katara," he said in answer to her silent question. "He cares about you, he really does. And I might not like him, or anything about this, but I can tell you like him, too. If he's what makes you happy, then I'm not going to try and get in the middle of things."

"Thanks, Sokka," she whispered, squeezing his hand. "You know I love you, right?"

Sokka smiled down at his sister. "Love you, too."

-------

Azula took careful aim and shot off a bolt of lightning at her brother, only to watch as he sent it back in her direction. Confused, she was barely able to duck as the bolt soared over her head. "You've been practicing, ZuZu."

She was trying to get him angry, he knew, but it wasn't going to work. On the way here, Zuko had been so angry, he could hardly think. But the moment he had seen Katara, a calm had stolen over him. The anger was still there, he knew, but now he could _use_ it. And Azula was getting sloppy, getting angry.

"It didn't really take that much, Azula," he replied calmly.

Azula growled and sent a jet of fire towards him. His calm manner was pissing her off. And he had so much power! She hadn't known he had so much. And he wasn't even attacking her, just redirecting her attacks back.

"Why don't you stop defending yourself and _fight_?" she yelled over the roar of the fire surrounding them. She didn't even notice that Zuko was controlling it.

Iroh watched his nephew, inordinately proud. Zuko was calm and in control. And he looked every inch the Fire Lord Iroh knew he could become.

"Frankly, Azula," Zuko murmured, "you're not worth it."

At those words, something inside of Azula broke and she screamed, sending bolts at him, rapid-fire. How _dare_ he taunt her? _She_ was the stronger! _She_ was father's favorite! _She_ was the better bender!

Zuko watched as the lightning came closer. Almost regretfully, he lifted a hand and pulled the bolts close together, shaping them into a tight, nearly solid ball. "You could have been different, Azula," he said. "But instead you're nothing but a cold, unfeeling monster." He moved his hand and the ball shot from him and hit Azula square in the chest. It didn't hurt her too seriously, but she was sent flying from the fire ring, to land heavily on the ground.

Zuko let the flames die and slowly approached her. He knew everyone was watching him, but he didn't care at the moment. His anger was returning, but he held it in check. He would never let it rule him again.

"You could have been a good person, Azula," he whispered. "And now it's too late."

He raised his hand and Azula closed her eyes, instinctively curling up. She felt heat pass close to her face and she suddenly knew exactly what he was doing. "Zuko…"

"I could scar you right here, right now, just like I am," he hissed. He sent a flame towards her and Azula opened her eyes, puzzled. The flame had missed her, harmlessly hitting the ground. "But I'm not like you." Zuko turned away. "If I ever see you again, Azula, I won't hesitate to kill you. Remember that."

Azula watched her brother for a moment and then she scrambled up, raising her right hand, intent on attacking him. But she suddenly found herself lifted from the ground, an odd pulling sensation swirling inside of her. She opened her mouth to scream, but found herself unable to do so as she looked down into the stormy eyes of the Water Tribe girl.

"It's a horrible thing, having someone control the moisture in your body, isn't it? Azula?" Katara asked softly, moving closer. She was aware of the stares the others were giving her but she ignored them. She was tired of Azula and her sneaky ways. And she was determined to put a stop to them.

"Which do you think would be worse, Azula?" she asked. "Being burned alive, or having every drop of water slowly pulled from your body?" Katara let go of the other girl's body water and Azula fell to the ground. "I'd leave if I were you. And I would try another trick, either."

Terrified now, Azula nodded and then turned, running as fast as she could from the clearing. Fire didn't scare her, but that waterbender certainly did. She let out a sob as she remembered the feeling of her blood trying to escape her body. She wouldn't try anything again…at least not for a very, very long time…

Katara watched as Azula ran away. When the princess was out of sight, she fell to the ground, feeling weaker than she had ever felt before. Zuko rushed to her side and picked her up, cradling her close. "Are you okay?"

She nodded weakly and smiled up at him. "I am now."

"Uh, not to interrupt the little reunion here, but what are we going to do with these two?" Sokka asked, aggravated at the little display.

Katara and Zuko laughed and then looked towards the small earthen prison where Jet and Mai were trapped. "I suppose we could let them go," Zuko replied.

"Yeah," Toph agreed. "It doesn't seem like they'll be too eager to take us on after the display we just had.

Everyone looked towards the two prisoners and they shook their heads. Jet's eyes were glued on Katara and Zuko. His shoulders slumped and he shrank back into the shadows of the little prison, hoping to hide his expression. It was apparent Katara loved the firebender. And that she would do anything to protect him. If only she was his…He sighed. But he would leave them alone. No more.

A tear slipped down Mai's face as she shook her head. "Her chance at Zuko was gone, stolen by a blue-eyed waterbender. And now she was friendless. Azula was gone and Ty Lee had joined the enemy. She was all alone. Well, not entirely. She glanced towards Jet out of the corner of her eye. He was kind of cute. And he seemed to be rather good with swords. She wondered if he knew anything about knives.

"All right, Toph," Aang said. "You can let them go." He turned to them. "But if you try anything, it won't be pretty."

Iroh smiled as he watched Zuko kiss the young Katara. Things were going to be okay. Suddenly, he frowned. Now all that needed to be done was stop his brother from destroying everything. It wouldn't be easy, but he had a feeling that this group of young fighters was more than up to the task.

* * *

**A long chapter, but a bit of it seemed rather rushed. Hmm. What do you think? Please Review. Anyway, there're a couple more chapters to go yet…and there'll be a surprise at the end, too! So, I'm off to write more!**

**Review!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Yay! A new chappie, just for you! This one'll go by pretty fast and might seem a bit frantic in places, but it's longer than my others and I hope everyone enjoys it. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. Wish I did, but I don't. However! I have $5.12 and am working on getting more so that my dream of owning _Avatar_ can finally be fulfilled! sigh. **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-nine**

"I'm so glad you're here with us," Katara whispered as she hugged Zuko.

A smiled crossed his face and he pulled back. "I know."

Sokka made a sound of disgust as he moved past the loving couple. "Enough with the mushy crap; we need to get going."

Katara blushed and looked at her brother. "All right, Sokka." She knew her brother was walking a fine line; he didn't like Zuko but he was trying not to start anything. Besides, he couldn't exactly use his regular Fire Nation bit, what with being so close to Ty Lee. It had been two weeks since they had rescued her from Azula. And he had done pretty well. Now, however, they were preparing to enter the Fire Nation. She didn't know how long the truce could last.

She turned to Aang. "Ready?"

The young airbender glanced at Katara, unable to wipe the solemn look from his face. He nodded. "Yeah..."

Iroh looked at the subdued group of teens and shook his head. He sighed. Everyone was nervous about this next trip. He sighed and drained his teacup. He, too, was a bit apprehensive, but he was confident that Aang and the others could handle themselves. Besides, he wasn't going to let them fight the Fire Nation by themselves. His brother was quite powerful. And, no matter what happened, Ozai would not give up so easily.

When Katara and Ty Lee had brought up the last of the food supplies, they were ready to go. They had left most of their things in the temple, in the hope that they would return. After all, speed was needed, and they couldn't leave anyone behind.

"Yip, yip!"

With those words, Appa rose into the air and sped off towards the south. It was three days until the eclipse, and Katara and Zuko had timed the journey to down to the exact moment when the Fire Nation would be at its most vulnerable.

"Uncle and I will be unable to use our bending, but I'll still be able to help with my broadswords," he explained, drawing out the plans for the palace. "We'll all have to enter at different places, so that the Fire Lord can't escape, but with the eclipse, it shouldn't be too hard to get in and guard the entrances."

"How many are there?" Katara asked.

"There are five," Zuko answered grimly, "and that's not counting some of the bigger entrances." He glanced towards Sokka. "You said your father was coming?" he asked.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, but his fleet will be _landing_ when the solar eclipse happens. He won't be much help at the palace."

"But he'll be blocking the ports?"

Again, Sokka nodded. "Yeah."

Zuko glanced towards the others who had all gathered around to see the plan. "Do you think you can handle the entrances by yourselves? I'll have to go with Aang and get him into the throne room."

Iroh cut in. "Ozai is not one to run, Zuko. More than likely, no one will see him at the entrances." The old general frowned. "You might want to bring someone else along, perhaps Miss Katara would be of help."

Zuko immediately shook his head at the suggestion. "We have to be as unnoticed as possible, Uncle," he explained. "Besides. Katara will do more damage outside of the palace than in. We'll need her to keep anyone from getting _into_ the palace."

Katara smiled grimly at the confidence Zuko had in her, but she knew he wanted to keep her out of the palace so that she would get hurt. Still, it was sweet and she didn't mind.

After another hour or so, Zuko rolled up the plans and handed them to Sokka. "If you think of anything else, tell me."

"Right."

"This needs to be done as quickly as possible. The element of surprise needs to be on our side." Zuko shook his head. "We have no idea how long the eclipse will last."

* * *

In the dark of the temple, Savitri moved, brought to life by the sun. "They're gone, my dear. It will all end soon. And you'll be able to see him again."

A woman moved from the shadows, her pale face lit with relief. Even in the darkness, her robes looked rich and expensive, though her air spoke nothing of the haughtiness of nobility, just a quiet royalty. "Finally. It will end. And Ozai will be punished for what he's done to the world. And to our son."

* * *

They traveled long into the night and stopped for only a few hours' rest. They ate quickly, not even daring to light a fire, though they didn't think it would be so very noticeable. Katara and Zuko were kept busy, drying everyone off; they had traveled most of the day above or in the clouds, and everyone was cold and wet.

The friends woke before the sun rose and continued their travel. Every now and then, Katara or Aang would bend a small hole in the clouds to change direction, but for the most part, they were surrounded completely by the cold and wet. By the end of the second day, no one was very happy.

The hours blended until the day of the eclipse dawned before anyone noticed. Still, they were ready. Just before the sun rose, Aang hid Appa in a nearby mountain, making sure that the flying bison could see the sky through a steep shaft opening up right near the peak of the mountain. And the shaft was wide enough that, should they need it, Appa could reach them easily.

"The eclipse is supposed to start sometime around noon," Sokka whispered as they walked through the streets of the royal city.

"We're lucky we found these clothes," Katara whispered.

Zuko nodded grimly. They were all wearing the hooded robes of noble servants, though after his travels, Zuko didn't particularly mind. The only one who wasn't in disguise was Ty Lee, and she was chatting happily with every noble they passed.

"Ty Lee, I heard you were traveling with Princess Azula," one young man said as he approached the girl. Beneath his hood, Sokka growled.

Ty Lee smiled brilliantly. "Yes, but she sent me back." She winked at the young man and leaned forward. In a whisper, she said, "It seems she's captured the Avatar's friends and, the last time I heard, she had set up a sure-fire plan to trap the Avatar himself." Ty Lee moved back and touched a finger to her lips. "But don't tell anyone. It's a secret."

As the young man moved off, Iroh moved to stand just beside Ty Lee. "If you keep telling everyone, the news will arrive at the palace before we do."

Ty Lee's face immediately fell. "Oh. I never thought of that." She shrugged. "Maybe I should stop."

Katara almost laughed, despite her nervousness. That was Ty Lee, keeping up the act even though no one was watching her.

"How are you going to explain six servants following you around?" Toph asked.

Ty Lee smiled through the sheer curtain of her litter. "But there are only three servants with me," she answered sweetly. And, to the rest of the people within the city, it was true. No one would count the four who held up her litter. Katara, Zuko, Sokka, and Aang were all wearing the hooded robes of litter bearers and had gone completely unnoticed by everyone around.

The Fire Nation girl shrugged. "Besides, it's not so uncommon. And no one will question that a Fire Nation noble would have a blind servant, an old guardian, _or_ a flying lemur." She giggled and hugged Momo closer to her. "Especially not one so _cute_!"

"Come on," Zuko growled from his position at the front of the litter. "Let's just hurry; this thing is getting _heavy_."

When they reached the palace, Iroh helped Ty Lee from the litter. The acrobat turned and waved her hand regally. "You can go now," she said. "Meet me back here in three hours."

The four hooded teens lowered the litter to the ground and bowed low before moving off. "You, too," she said to Iroh, who bowed also. He wore a wide-brimmed hat, similar to the earth-kingdom one he had often worn, which hid most of his face in shadow.

"Come," Ty Lee said to Toph, taking the younger girl's hand. "Azula said I could spend a few days here and I intend on taking her up on the offer."

After a few moments, when a discreet puff of smoke rose in the sky, Ty Lee smiled. Everyone was in position then. Good. She turned to Toph. "Just go right down this corridor," she whispered. "You'll get to the main entrance. No one will question that you're there. They saw you with me earlier."

Toph nodded and moved off as Ty Lee went to the western gate. Everything was in place. Now all that needed to happen was the sun to disappear.

Zuko moved swiftly through all of the secret ways of the palace, never bothering to check behind him to make sure Aang was keeping up. Every so often, he glanced out of the window. A dark shadow was beginning to move across the sky. He smiled grimly and picked up the pace.

He shook his head. The moment was coming. His mind turned to the moments before he and Katara separated.

"_After everything is over, you'll have to leave," he whispered. "But promise me you'll be waiting for me back at the temple."_

_Katara nodded as she moved closer. "I promise."_

_Zuko smiled and kissed her quickly. "I love you, Katara."_

_Her sapphire eyes lit up and she smiled as well. "I love you too, Zuko." _

_Sokka grabbed hold of his sister's arm and pulled her away. "We have to go." _

_Zuko watched as she began to walk away. "Please be all right," he whispered. "Please." _

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he came to a small, unobtrusive door. This would lead him to the throne room. His heart hitched. It was the same door he had used to flee the throne room that night so long ago. The night his mother disappeared.

Quietly, he opened the door and stepped inside, finding himself behind the familiar curtains he and Azula had hidden behind. Though he felt weaker, from the eclipse, Zuko felt stronger than he had ever felt. He was finally going to face his father. And this time, Ozai would pay.

Just as Aang entered the throne room behind him, Zuko threw back the curtains and stepped forward. "Hello, Father."

**(A/N: oooh…I was going to stop it here, but I'll not be mean. So, here we go…onwards!)**

At the sound of his banished son's voice, Ozai stood, his body shaking with rage. "Zuko! How dare you…!"

Zuko stepped forward. "You're finished, father."

Ozai was silent a moment and then he laughed. "And what are you going to do? What can a failure of a banished prince like you ever hope to do to _me_?" he asked.

Zuko's eyes darted to the window and he smirked as the sun was completely hidden by the moon. A blood red light descended in the throne room as Aang stepped out from behind the curtain. "We're going to stop you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zuko and Aang leapt towards the Fire Lord, the flames before him suddenly winking out. With swift motions, Aang trapped the Ozai in a cage of rock, knocking him to the ground with a blast of air. Zuko drew his broadswords and held one to his father's throat. "You're not going to continue this war."

But, while Ozai should have been full of remorse, he wasn't. Instead, he laughed and looked out the window. Aang and Zuko mimicked him immediately, knowing exactly what was happening.

"You were always just like your mother," the Fire Lord said as the moon began to move away from the sun. "Too emotional and far too easily sacrificed." He raised his arms and the air around him heated to a blistering point. The rock blasted outward, pieces showering down on Aang and Zuko.

Ozai moved to leap away but Zuko was there, his broadswords held high.

"You're not running away from me."

Another evil laugh issued from Ozai. "And what are you going to do to stop me, Zuko?" he taunted. "You're too soft to do what's necessary." Ozai sent a blast of fire straight at Zuko but a furious jet of air sent the flames scattering. Aang landed right before Zuko, his young face set.

"You're disrupting the balance of the world," he said. "Can't you see that?"

"Balance?" Ozai laughed as he sent another flame. Aang easily dodged it as Zuko flipped to avoid the fire. "Balance is for the weak. Why let this world go to ruin when the Fire Nation is strong enough to conquer? _That_ is true balance, Avatar. Your pathetic little Air Nomads didn't understand that, and neither do you."

Aang whirled his staff and stabbed at the Fire Lord. Beneath their feet, the earth moved and flames, fed by a ferocious wind, were sent towards Ozai, just as Zuko sent his own attack. The sun was almost completely revealed and the fire was only getting stronger.

Finding that Aang couldn't be easily swayed, Ozai turned back to his son. "What are you going to do if you manage to defeat me? How are you even going to get out of here?"

Zuko took a step forward. "I am a Prince of the Fire Nation," he answered in return. "Our people will accept me as their Fire Lord."

"Will they?" Ozai taunted. "You're a banished prince, Zuko. You won't be treated as kindly as you think." Another laugh. "Poor Zuko, the soft-hearted, still believing the world will love him if he believes enough."

"Stop it!" Zuko yelled out in frustration.

"Your mother was the same, only she was too consumed with trying to protect you to notice."

"Shut up!"

"Why do you think she left, Zuko? Why do you think she disappeared? Azula told me you knew. My father told me to kill you, but your mother wouldn't allow it. So she killed Azulon and crept away in the night. If anyone caused this war, it's her."

"Don't say that about her!"

Ozai laughed. To Aang, it sounded almost exactly like Azula. "Do you really think she loved you, Zuko? If she did, then why didn't she take you with her? Why do you think she disappeared without telling you the truth?"

"I did it because you told me to, Ozai."

The Fire Lord froze, his shock mirrored on his son's face. He turned to find a tired, careworn woman standing behind him, her beautiful face lined with grief and anger.

"I left because you told me it would save him. I promised not to see him again because you told me it would only hurt him." She tilted her head and gave a sad smile. "I could have taken him with me, yes, but if I had, he never would have seen the monster in you, Ozai."

Both Ozai and Zuko moved forward but Ursa was faster. With tears in her eyes, she stabbed Ozai, and caught him as he fell. "I loved you, Ozai, despite your hatred, despite the evil in your heart," she whispered between her sobs. "I thought you could change, but when you banished me from the palace, I knew that you would _never_ become anything more than a monster. I left because you told me, because it was my duty. But I came back because I knew no one else could stop you."

"Mother…"

Ursa pulled her dagger from Ozai and let the Fire Lord drop to the floor. "I'm so sorry, Ozai. But it was the only way."

Zuko walked forward, his eyes wide in disbelief. "Mother?"

Ursa looked up and seemed to see Zuko for the first time. Gasping, she dropped the dagger and reached out, her eyes full of love and regret. "Zuko." But when her son didn't move forward, she dropped her arms. "Do you hate me, then?" she asked sadly.

Zuko stood still for a moment and then he rushed forward, ignoring his father's body. "No. I could never…" He reached out hugged his mother, hardly daring to believe she was real.

Aang watched the heartbreaking reunion for a moment and then hesitantly moved closer. "Uhh…Zuko?" The young firebender glanced at him. "Shouldn't we go help the others?"

Zuko's eyes widened and then he nodded. Stepping from his mother's arms, he bent down at his father's side. For a long moment, he simply stared at the lifeless body of the man who had made his life so hard, so miserable, and then he reached out and took the flame-shaped crown of the Fire Lord. Without his topknot, he couldn't wear it, but it was proof of his victory. Proof that he was Fire Lord now.

It rested in his hands like a great weight and Zuko glanced back at his mother. She smiled and then took hold of his arm. "Come," she said. "It's time we both returned to our people."

Aang watched the two leave the room and then he, too, left. He needed to find the others. They would go now to the other nations and inform the world that the Fire Nation's war was over. After a hundred years of suffering and death, it was finally over.

* * *

**I know it might seem like this is the end, but there's still one more chapter. How do you people feel about alternate endings? I was thinking about doing a sequel to this fic, but it would involve a not-so-happy-ending for this one. So, i've written up two endings, which will be included in the final chapter. the first will be the normal, average, happy ending...and the second will be the one that leads into the next fic...so what do you think? are you up to it?**

**please review! tell me what you think! **

**bty, did you like this chapter? or was the ursa-killing-ozai thing a bit weak? **


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

There came a slight noise, like the opening of a door, and Katara turned in expectation. She had waited here for him, like she had promised. A small smile crossed her face and she rose to greet him.

"Zuko."

Zuko smiled at the sight of her. He had only been gone a few days, a week at most. And yet here she was, waiting for him. He drew her into a tight hug, savoring the feel of her. "Katara." She pulled away and he smiled down at her. She was so beautiful.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver necklace. On it hung a sapphire pendant, as blue as her eyes. Zuko took hold of her hand and poured the necklace onto her palm. "This is for you," he whispered. "A necklace to match your beauty."

Katara looked down at the necklace and her heart hitched. "Oh, Zuko…"

-------Alternate ending 1-------

She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with love. "You didn't have to give me this."

Zuko's smile grew and he took the necklace from her to clasp it around her throat. "I didn't, but I wanted to." Suddenly, a blush appeared across his cheeks. "I hope…I hope that you'll come back to the Fire Nation with me." He looked away. "But I'd understand if…"

Katara laughed and threw her arms about him. "Oh, Zuko. I will. Of course I will!" She kissed him. "I love you and I never want to be without you."

Her laughter was contagious. Zuko joined in and twirled her about. "I love you, too, Katara."

After a long while, the two were quiet and Katara's sapphire eyes fixed to Zuko's golden ones. "Shall we go tell the others?" she asked quietly.

Zuko grinned and took a step towards the door. "I'll race you there," he replied, before turning and darting back into the temple.

"Hey!" Katara yelled, running after him. She tried to frown, but it soon dissolved into a grin. She couldn't help it. Everything was so…perfect.

As Katara left the water garden, two figures appeared, hand in hand. They stared at the empty doorway for a moment and then turned to each other, smiling gently as the wind ruffled their clothes. They free. Free, after so long, to love each other again. Behind them, the sun began to set, setting the pools of water ablaze. For the barest of moments, it looked almost like an ocean of fire…

**The End**

-------Alternate ending 2------

As her eyes roamed the beauty of the silver necklace, Katara's heart grew heavy at what she had come here to do. Her face fell and she reached out to take hold of Zuko's hand. "Never believe for an instant that I don't love you," she whispered.

Zuko stared at Katara as she pressed the necklace back into his hand. His heart stilled and horror shot through his body. What was wrong?

"But I…I can't abandon my people, my tribe," she went on. Tears began to well in her sapphire eyes and a single tear slipped down her smooth cheek. "They need me, and I can't let them flounder in the dark, not when they've asked me to help."

Zuko reached out to touch her cheek, his other hand still clutching the necklace. _Her_ necklace. "Katara…" It seemed his heart was breaking and he knew that tears were welling in his own eyes.

A single sound of pain escaped her and Katara moved away. "I'm so sorry, Zuko," came the frightened whisper. "But I have to go." She shook her head. "I can't except this necklace, not when I have to leave."

Zuko was silent a moment, trying to think past the pain. And then he took a step closer. With slow, deliberate movements, he reached behind her and clasped the necklace about her throat. "I understand, Katara," he lied softly. He looked away. His next words truer than anything ever spoken. "I love you with everything I am, Katara, and I will never forget you. Never." And with those words, he turned and left the garden, never looking back.

Alone, Katara let the tears fall faster. A sob rose from her throat and she slowly followed Zuko and left the garden. She was afraid, really, and she was needed. Though the war was finally over, she couldn't selfish. Her people needed her. She couldn't abandon them, no matter how much pain it caused her.

In the garden, two figures appeared, just as the sun was setting. They turned to each other, pain in their eyes.

"They have parted ways," the man said.

The woman nodded and then sent a small, sad smile to her companion. "But their love remains. We are free."

"But at what cost?" he asked her.

Savitri turned and wrapped her arms around Nilam. "They will find each other again, Nilam. I am certain of it." She turned her head to look at his handsome face, a tiny smile playing about her lips. "And I have a feeling we'll have something to do with it. After all, she still carries the stone, does she not?"

Nilam looked down at her. "She does at that." He hugged her closer. "She does at that."

**The End**


End file.
